When time and history change the meaning of a joke in pop culture.

[middleman]

I was watching a late 90s episode of Friends this week on TNT. It is the episode where Chandler and Monica are dating on the sly and they go to dinner at Chander's boss's apartment.

Monica is put off because Chandler has a "work laugh" where he cracks up at his boss's bad jokes.

One joke DID make me laugh.

The boss made some reference about President Clinton....and her husband, Bill!

The joke being the old standard that Hillary was the real president of Bill's administration.

What made me laugh was the thought of future generations watching on Nick @ Nite wondering what the hell is so funny.

If Hillary wins (big if, natch) history will have made that whole bit obsolete. President Clinton WILL have a husband named Bill. What is so funny about that?

Any other times where history did (or may in the case of my example) change the humor of a joke?

I'm thinking we might get more than a few Simpson jokes because the darn show last so long.

(One that comes to mind is when Bush moved in across the street and one of his deadbeat sons who wanted a letter of reference later used it to become President of the USA).

[Annie-Xmas]

Seinfeld episode The Masseuse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Masseuse_(Seinfeld_episode)) aired November 18, 1993. Elaine has a boyfriend named Joel Riffkin, who shared that name with a nortorious New York serial killer. She wants him to change his first name. While looking through a Football Program, she suggests "O.J"

Seven months later, the meaning of that joke really changed!

[Shoeless]

There's the scene in "The Blues Brothers" where they are at the fancy restaurant where their former horn player is now the maitre d'. He's talking to someone on the phone and makes the statement "No sir, Mayor Daley no longer dines here. He's dead, sir."

[Exapno Mapcase]

There are many places in which a President Reagan was used as an example of something so absurd it could only be a joke. This was while Reagan was governor of California, of course.

[Freudian Slit]

There are many places in which a President Reagan was used as an example of something so absurd it could only be a joke. This was while Reagan was governor of California, of course.
This reminds me of Back to the Future, where Marty tells the Doc that Reagan is president, and Doc doesn't believe him. (Not a changed meaning one, though.)

[Push You Down]

Slight hijack in terms of the category... but there's a line in a Tori Amos song ("Pretty Good Year", I believe) reference is made to a character who "burns his cds"... It's meant literally but I can see people nowadays thinking he's making cds on his computer.

[KneadToKnow]

There are many places in which a President Reagan was used as an example of something so absurd it could only be a joke. This was while Reagan was governor of California, of course.
But only time will tell if the Schwarzenegger Presidential Library (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106697/) will prove to be something similar.

[Little Nemo]

Not exactly a change in meaning but future viewers won't appreciate the prescience of the line. In an episode of The West Wing that predated 9-11 by almost a year, the fictional White House staff is talking about a terrorist threat and President Bartlett mentions Osama bin Laden by name.

[furryman]

Both Laurel and Hardy and the The Three Stooges had some funny "sleeping in the same bed together" skits. I bet you'll never see any modern comedy team do that!

[anyrose]

There are many places in which a President Reagan was used as an example of something so absurd it could only be a joke. This was while Reagan was governor of California, of course.
My folks and I were watching a McLain Stevenson era M*A*S*H episode in reruns early to mid 1980, in which Blake asks Radar what movies are available from HQ* and Radar reads him a list that included "Bonzo Runs For President". We looked at each other and said "How did they know?"



(*or whereever they get those things)

[Annie-Xmas]

My folks and I were watching a McLain Stevenson era M*A*S*H episode in reruns early to mid 1980, in which Blake asks Radar what movies are available from HQ* and Radar reads him a list that included "Bonzo Runs For President". We looked at each other and said "How did they know?"




The only Bonzo movie was "Bedtime for Bonzo." Reagen was already President when that joke was made

[matt_mcl]

Slight hijack in terms of the category... but there's a line in a Tori Amos song ("Pretty Good Year", I believe) reference is made to a character who "burns his cds"... It's meant literally but I can see people nowadays thinking he's making cds on his computer.

Really? He's literally setting fire to his CDs? Man, completely didn't get that. (Since it says "Greg, he writes letters/And burns his CDs" I figured both actions were creative ones.)

[anyrose]

The only Bonzo movie was "Bedtime for Bonzo." Reagen was already President when that joke was made
sorry, no.

Yes there was only one Bonzo movie, but the episode in which the joke was made was written and filmed in the early 70s. episode in reruns early to mid 1980,We watched it in reruns in 1980 prior to the election. Carter was president from '76-'80 (well, '77 to '81 if you go by inaugural dates)

[descamisado]

Both Laurel and Hardy and the The Three Stooges had some funny "sleeping in the same bed together" skits. I bet you'll never see any modern comedy team do that!As a corrollary(?) to what furryman said, any pre-modern era reference to the word "gay."

Or "fag."

Sleeping in the same bed together is still done, but there is the requisite "We ain't gay, we're forced to do this" schtick.

[rowrrbazzle]

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in did an occasional "News of the Future". I saw a rerun a few years ago that referred to "President Ronald Reagan". I'm not sure, but the dateline given in the sketch may have been a year when Reagan actually was president. The show ran during Reagan's tenure as governor of California.

[anyrose]

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in did an occasional "News of the Future". I saw a rerun a few years ago that referred to "President Ronald Reagan". I'm not sure, but the dateline given in the sketch may have been a year when Reagan actually was president. The show ran during Reagan's tenure as governor of California.
's'posiible - NotF was usually 20 to 30 years "from now" and if that one was 20 "yfn", it'd have been right on target

[Push You Down]

Really? He's literally setting fire to his CDs? Man, completely didn't get that. (Since it says "Greg, he writes letters/And burns his CDs" I figured both actions were creative ones.)


See what I mean. That album came out in 1994. I don't think "burning cds" came into common usage for at least a couple of years.

[astorian]

Not exactly a change in meaning but future viewers won't appreciate the prescience of the line. In an episode of The West Wing that predated 9-11 by almost a year, the fictional White House staff is talking about a terrorist threat and President Bartlett mentions Osama bin Laden by name.

For that matter, in "Hannibal," when Giancarlo Giannini is looking at the FBI's most wanted list on his computer, Hannibal Lecter is right next to... Osama Bin Laden.

[cochrane]

How about Maxwell Smart's shoe phone? Back in the '60s, a portable phone you could use anywhere did actually seem like it was some kind of ultra-cool spy gadget. The joke was that he carried it in his shoe. Now, everybody has a phone they can throw in their pocket or even tuck in their sock if they desire.

[Ellis Aponte Jr.]

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in did an occasional "News of the Future". I saw a rerun a few years ago that referred to "President Ronald Reagan". I'm not sure, but the dateline given in the sketch may have been a year when Reagan actually was president. The show ran during Reagan's tenure as governor of California.

Yes, this is true. It was a 1968 episode and they were doing news from 1988, so they got it right.

[jackelope]

How about Maxwell Smart's shoe phone? Back in the '60s, a portable phone you could use anywhere did actually seem like it was some kind of ultra-cool spy gadget.In the 1954 Sabrina (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047437/), with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, the uber-wealthy Linus Larrabee has a phone in the back seat of the limo that drives him around. It looks like a regular phone of the day, with a cord and everything.

[Exapno Mapcase]

The joke in Get Smart wasn't about radio phones, which had been around for decades, but about the recent craze for miniaturization that had grown with the space race. That's what allowed the phone to be hidden in a shoe.

[Liberal]

Speaking of Back to the Future, when he orders a "Pepsi Free" from the soda clerk, and is told, "If you want a Pepsi, you'll have to pay for it." Pepsi has a caffeine free drink now, but the Pepsi Free slogan (don't know if it was ever a trademark) is a thing of the past.

[mobo85]

Well, since you brought up The Simpsons, there were a couple of jokes in the mid-90s about the horrible playing of the Denver Broncos of the NFL- one episode in which Homer imagines himself as John Elway helping the Broncos lose the Super Bowl, and another in which Homer's megolomaniacal boss gives him the Broncos as a gift (he wanted the Cowboys.) This was before Elway and the Broncos ended up winning two back-to-back Super Bowls.

While we're on the subject of Hillary Clinton, the Warner Bros. cartoons of the mid-'90s had a lot of Clinton jokes. At least one Pinky and the Brain episode shows Bill as an inept fool who needs Hillary's help to run the White House, and a song about the presidents on Animaniacs as originally written featured a lyric "The one in charge, it's plain to see/It's Clinton, first name Hillary!" (This lyric was not used in the show, but did appear on the Variety Pack album.)

[cochrane]

The joke in Get Smart wasn't about radio phones, which had been around for decades, but about the recent craze for miniaturization that had grown with the space race. That's what allowed the phone to be hidden in a shoe.

Yes, I pointed that out. Meaning the impracticality of Max's having to remove his shoe to make a call. If he had simply carried the phone in his pocket, or even had one built into his wristwatch, there would have been no humor in it. And as I said, today you can stick your cell phone in your sock if you choose, so that dates the joke.

How about Maxwell Smart's shoe phone? Back in the '60s, a portable phone you could use anywhere did actually seem like it was some kind of ultra-cool spy gadget. The joke was that he carried it in his shoe. Now, everybody has a phone they can throw in their pocket or even tuck in their sock if they desire.

[Steve Wright]

For that matter, in "Hannibal," when Giancarlo Giannini is looking at the FBI's most wanted list on his computer, Hannibal Lecter is right next to... Osama Bin Laden.Pretty sure bin Laden has been on that list for a long time - since the first WTC bombings in, IIRC, 1993.

ETA: Beg pardon - he made it to the list in 1998.

[Bryan Ekers]

Yes there was only one Bonzo movie, but the episode in which the joke was made was written and filmed in the early 70s. We watched it in reruns in 1980 prior to the election. Carter was president from '76-'80 (well, '77 to '81 if you go by inaugural dates)
Even then, though, Reagan's Presidential aspirations were well-known. He'd made a serious bid for the Republican nomination in 1968, losing to Nixon, and very nearly displaced incumbent Ford in 1976. I don't know who wrote this particular M*A*S*H episode, but working in Hollywood it's not likely they were unaware their governor wanted to go to Washington.


As for non-jokes whose meaning changed over time, there's always the dedication of Rambo III, to the gallant people of Afghanistan. Also, an episode of CSI titled "Unfriendly Skies" that aired on December 8, 2000, in which a mentally-ill jet passenger becomes violent and irrational, assaults other passengers and even tries to kick down the cockpit door. Upon investigating, the CSIs determine he was beaten to death by the other passengers. The episode ends with Grissom rather tongue-cluckingly condemning them. Post Sept. 11, I'd say if a passenger tries to break into the cockpit during a flight I'm on, I will gladly beat him to death and not regret it for an instant, with a hearty "fuck you" for anyone questioning my decision.

[Shoeless]

But only time will tell if the Schwarzenegger Presidential Library (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106697/) will prove to be something similar.
They'd have to make some changes to the Constitution before that could become a reality...

[alphaboi867]

...While we're on the subject of Hillary Clinton,...

Remember that episode of Sliders where they visted an Earth where matriarchy (well patriachy in a skirt) was the norm? Hillary Clinton was President of USA. I always thought it odd that her name was still Clinton since women were supposed to be in charge, but the joke wouldn've worked with President Rodham. There was even a scene with a actress playing her giving a speech. Supposedly the producers tried to get Hillary to play herself, but she backed out at the last minute.

[NDP]

Yes, I pointed that out. Meaning the impracticality of Max's having to remove his shoe to make a call. If he had simply carried the phone in his pocket, or even had one built into his wristwatch, there would have been no humor in it. And as I said, today you can stick your cell phone in your sock if you choose, so that dates the joke.

On a related note, the opening gag from this special promoting the NBC series line-up for the 1965-66 season (http://youtube.com/watch?v=OJwGB-eitpw) is based on a situation that was odd then but annoyingly familiar now.

On a Shelley Long-era episode of "Cheers", Diane vouches for relationship therapist (played by John Cleese) by saying he helped "Chuck and Di" with their problems. Given what happened to their marriage a few years later, somebody hearing that now would not likely think that's a ringing endorsement.

[Scissorjack]

Well, there's the Simpsons episode in which Bart and Lisa watch Steve Irwin torn to pieces by a crocodile and lament missing the "feeding frenzy". His death made that joke either funnier or more tasteless, depending on your viewpoint.

[Troy McClure SF]

This was before Elway and the Broncos ended up winning two back-to-back Super Bowls.
Similarly, there've been a ton of jokes at the Red Sox' expense before 2004.

[Freudian Slit]

Well, since you brought up The Simpsons, there were a couple of jokes in the mid-90s about the horrible playing of the Denver Broncos of the NFL- one episode in which Homer imagines himself as John Elway helping the Broncos lose the Super Bowl, and another in which Homer's megolomaniacal boss gives him the Broncos as a gift (he wanted the Cowboys.) This was before Elway and the Broncos ended up winning two back-to-back Super Bowls.
And the Simpsons Super Bowl episode even involved the Denver Broncos. No mention (that I can recall) of Homer actually owning the team earlier on.

[anyrose]

Similarly, there've been a ton of jokes at the Red Sox' expense before 2004.
And there have been almost as many since (especially if you live in New York) ;) :p :D

[sinjin]

Not a joke, but it's changed it's meaning none the less: the first line of Neuromancer is "“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." Of course, televisions don't typically display snow anymore and the novel now opens with a brilliant oversaturated blue sky. It's cool because it's still somewhat oppressive.

[matt_mcl]

See what I mean. That album came out in 1994. I don't think "burning cds" came into common usage for at least a couple of years.

So on a similar note, I'm listening to the Pet Shop Boys song "Dreaming of the Queen." It's themed on death and tragedy - the repeated line in the chorus is "and there were no more lovers left alive" - with the implication being that it's about AIDS. However, it mentions Diana, so I'd guess most people who hear it now would interpret it as being about her death somehow, even though it was released while she was still alive. Indeed, when they played it in concert, they used footage of her funeral cortège.

There was also a really weird coincidence in another of their songs, "King's Cross," in which they refer to "by a station called King's Cross/Dead and wounded on either side" -- it was actually released a short time before the fire at King's Cross tube station that killed dozens.

[Interrobang!?]

See what I mean. That album came out in 1994. I don't think "burning cds" came into common usage for at least a couple of years. This made me curious, so I checked the online OED: burn, v.1

* Electronics. trans. To write (data) to or on to a CD or DVD by means of a laser device; to produce (a disc) in this way.
[1976 Christian Sci. Monitor 5 May 21/3 The latest variant of this type of recording system has been developed by Prof. John Locke of the University of Toronto. His method uses a laser to burn tiny pits in a spinning plastic disk.] 1982 Computerworld 29 Sept. 75 When images have been ‘burnt’, or, more accurately, punched onto the optical disks, they cannot be erased. 1998 Independent 12 Oct. I. 6/6 ‘Burning’ a CD to the customer's demands puts the company, and the artists, in full control. 2004 Boys Toys July 104 Just import your footage or photos, edit them onboard, and burn the results to DVD. (Thank you, Seattle Public Library account.) So the term long predates Amos' song. Common? Harder to tell -- though a quick Google Groups search turns up 6 hits on the phrase "burn a cd" before 12/31/1993, so it wasn't unheard of. None of those refer to literal flames, but a couple of them mean "record and release an album" rather than "make a copy of a CD at home."

At the very least, it makes the Amos lyric ambiguous.

[Little Nemo]

Al Franken wrote Why Not Me? about his fictional Presidential campaign. His Vice President was Joe Leiberman (Franken made a joke about his entire cabinet being Jewish men). A year after the book was published, Leiberman was picked as Gore's Vice-Presidential candidate.

[42fish]

In Airplane II, two character have the following exchange:

'We need to bring back McCloskey.'
'You know ever since Reagan fired the air traffic controllers he's been completely senile'
'But what about McCloskey?'
'He's about the same as Reagan.'

The joke obviously played differently after Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

[Bryan Ekers]

If you've seen Futurama, you know the mass transit system in New New York consists of a network of pneumatic tubes. In the first episode, March 1999, a man steps into a tube station, says "JFK jr. Airport" and is whisked away. When JFK jr. died in a plane crash a few months later, the episode altered the man's destination to "Radio City Mutant Hall."

[pepperlandgirl]

Well, since you brought up The Simpsons, there were a couple of jokes in the mid-90s about the horrible playing of the Denver Broncos of the NFL- one episode in which Homer imagines himself as John Elway helping the Broncos lose the Super Bowl, and another in which Homer's megolomaniacal boss gives him the Broncos as a gift (he wanted the Cowboys.) This was before Elway and the Broncos ended up winning two back-to-back Super Bowls.




My favorite Simpsons moment involving the Broncos came from the episode where Homer bets on the Broncos to beat the Patriots.


Come on, Denver! Justify my love!


He loses.

ETA: And who can forget the "They put all the jerks in Tower One" line from the Simpsons--which, contrary to popular belief has not been edited out for syndication.

[Rilchiam]

I read a book once, a satire, in which the main character reminisces about her overprivileged, overindulged childhood. Her dad setting up a movie camera to film her kindergarten graduation was supposed to be way over the top. Now every parent videos practically everything their children do.

In Clueless, the cell-phone dependency of the characters was supposed to be exaggerated. Now it just looks normal. Also, I don't react the same way to "Daddy, these people have lost everything! I'm sure that includes sporting goods!"

Another book ref and Princess Di ref (two-fer!): With the Next Man Everything Will Be Different (http://www.amazon.com/Next-Man-Everything-Will-Different/dp/0394578341/ref=sr_1_1/104-5675754-7531966?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189326423&sr=1-1), published in Germany in 1987 but not available in the U.S. until 1990. At which point, the main character's fantasy about being Diana and being all cozy and loving with Charles seemed ludicrous to me, until I checked the publication dates.

[FriarTed]

Both Laurel and Hardy and the The Three Stooges had some funny "sleeping in the same bed together" skits. I bet you'll never see any modern comedy team do that!

Not a team but John Candy and Steve Martin.

[Gala Matrix Fire]

Not a team but John Candy and Steve Martin.

I noticed the post about men sleeping in the same bed earlier, and it's actually a pet peeve of mine that recent movies have used this schtick. The Ashton Kutcher Bernie Mac movie that's not more than three years old had the two of them, a father and the intended bridegroom of his daughter, sharing a bed for some reason. I believe there was also a recent Ben Stiller movie, maybe one of the Meet the Parents movies, where Ben shared a bed with Robert Deniro.

Personally, there's almost no way on earth you'd get me to share a bed with another person under those circumstances. Are there no sleeping bags? No cots? No couches? No blankets to lay on the floor? Any of these things would be preferable.

[Loach]

Another book ref and Princess Di ref (two-fer!): With the Next Man Everything Will Be Different (http://www.amazon.com/Next-Man-Everything-Will-Different/dp/0394578341/ref=sr_1_1/104-5675754-7531966?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189326423&sr=1-1), published in Germany in 1987 but not available in the U.S. until 1990. At which point, the main character's fantasy about being Diana and being all cozy and loving with Charles seemed ludicrous to me, until I checked the publication dates.

I know it doesn't fit the OP because it's not a joke but it was the same for me with Tom Clancy's Patriot Games. In the movie Jack Ryan saves a fictitous royal. In the book he makes it clear that the royal is Charles. I don't believe he ever uses his name, only the title but it is clear who he is talking about. Charles and Diana are shown as having very public problems with their marriage but they find out how much they love each other after they go through the danger thrown at them in the book.

[WhyNot]

I noticed the post about men sleeping in the same bed earlier, and it's actually a pet peeve of mine that recent movies have used this schtick. The Ashton Kutcher Bernie Mac movie that's not more than three years old had the two of them, a father and the intended bridegroom of his daughter, sharing a bed for some reason. I believe there was also a recent Ben Stiller movie, maybe one of the Meet the Parents movies, where Ben shared a bed with Robert Deniro.

Personally, there's almost no way on earth you'd get me to share a bed with another person under those circumstances. Are there no sleeping bags? No cots? No couches? No blankets to lay on the floor? Any of these things would be preferable.
See, and it's a pet peeve of mine for the opposite reason - why on earth is it a big deal to share a bed and not want to have sex with the person in it? I mean, you're sleeping, who cares? Why is it okay to be three inches away from another person of the same sex sleeping on the floor on inflatable mats, but if you sleep three inches away from him on an elevated sleeping platform with padding and sheets, you might catch teh gay?

[Loach]

See, and it's a pet peeve of mine for the opposite reason - why on earth is it a big deal to share a bed and not want to have sex with the person in it? I mean, you're sleeping, who cares? Why is it okay to be three inches away from another person of the same sex sleeping on the floor on inflatable mats, but if you sleep three inches away from him on an elevated sleeping platform with padding and sheets, you might catch teh gay?

Because it isn't. Why is it not OK to walk down the street holding the hand of a man you are not involved with? It's the culture. Go somewhere else and the culture is different.

[asterion]

And the Simpsons Super Bowl episode even involved the Denver Broncos. No mention (that I can recall) of Homer actually owning the team earlier on.
I just realized the implications of that. If he still owned the team, he would have had no problem getting tickets.

I believe that the Broncos are the NFL team that has been mentioned the most in the Simpsons. There's Lisa the Greek, Cape Fear, You Only Move Twice, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaKAMhNty68), Sunday, Cruddy Sunday, Skinner's Sense of Snow, The Bonfire of the Manatees, and I think there's a couple more.

[Loach]

Because it isn't. Why is it not OK to walk down the street holding the hand of a man you are not involved with? It's the culture. Go somewhere else and the culture is different.

I should have said that tweaking your particular culture has been the basis of a lot of comedy (maybe most) since Thag made the first amusing cave drawing.

[mobo85]

In Airplane II, two character have the following exchange:

'We need to bring back McCloskey.'
'You know ever since Reagan fired the air traffic controllers he's been completely senile'
'But what about McCloskey?'
'He's about the same as Reagan.'

The joke obviously played differently after Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

There was also a joke in that movie about a mental hospital being named after Reagan. According to IMDb, the film aired on TV shortly after Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, so the name was changed to "Donald Dragon."

[mobo85]

And the Simpsons Super Bowl episode even involved the Denver Broncos. No mention (that I can recall) of Homer actually owning the team earlier on.

That's because the producers (and the rest of the country) didn't know which teams would actually be in the Super Bowl until a week before the episode was to air. They dubbed in the names of the teams after animation was done, and poked fun at this by having Homer and Moe cover their lips with beer mugs whenever they said the names of the teams- and the president and his wife, in a typical Simpsons gag, since it would be unlikely that they would change before airtime. (Coincidentially, John Elway was also mentioned in a tongue-in-cheek trivia viginette that aired during one of Fox's Super Bowl telecasts. Although the rest of them had actors and characters from Fox shows ask serious Super Bowl-related questions, The Simpsons went the typical silly route and had the guys in Moe's bar watching a TV show asking, "Who was the most handsome man to ever play in the Super Bowl, according to everybody?" The answer: John Elway.)

[middleman]

I just realized the implications of that. If he still owned the team, he would have had no problem getting tickets.

I believe that the Broncos are the NFL team that has been mentioned the most in the Simpsons. There's Lisa the Greek, Cape Fear, You Only Move Twice, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaKAMhNty68), Sunday, Cruddy Sunday, Skinner's Sense of Snow, The Bonfire of the Manatees, and I think there's a couple more.

I find that every time I say "Denver Broncos" at a party, I put my beer in front of my mouth and say it with the monotone voice Homer used in Sunday, Cruddy Sunday.

If Hillary DOES win, I look forward to being able to do a Moe and say President "Clinton".

[Justin_Bailey]

See, and it's a pet peeve of mine for the opposite reason - why on earth is it a big deal to share a bed and not want to have sex with the person in it? I mean, you're sleeping, who cares? Why is it okay to be three inches away from another person of the same sex sleeping on the floor on inflatable mats, but if you sleep three inches away from him on an elevated sleeping platform with padding and sheets, you might catch teh gay?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a big deal in most of these movies because the bed the two men are sharing would barely be fit to hold two small children, let alone two adult men. It's the size and the uncomfortable close quarters, not fear of catching "teh ghey."

Something tells me the joke wouldn't work as well if the two guys are sharing a California King with enough space between them to park a small car. Nope, it's always a full or a twin.

[Freddy the Pig]

The only Bonzo movie was "Bedtime for Bonzo."Nay, nay--there was a quickly forgotten sequel, Bonzo Goes to College (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonzo_Goes_to_College), but Reagan declined to appear in it because it was "too ridiculous" (unlike Bedtime for Bonzo).

[An Gadaí]

In The Simpsons episode with Burns' toy bear (Bobo?), Burns is seen playing in the sand with Maggie, a reporter springs up and takes a photo and Burns shouts "Damn You Papparazzo", after Diana died this was edited to "Damn you!" on Sky TV in Britain.

[mobo85]

I was thinking about that, too. Any Simpsons episode where Princess Diana was mentioned or could be inferred was edited in the UK after her death, even going so far as to edit the word "royal" out in one episode where Mayor Quimby says "You two screwed up royal!"

[SurrenderDorothy]

For Christmas, I got a box set of the Animaniacs cartoon.

I took it over to my best friend's house shortly thereafter. I had only watched the first couple... not the whole thing yet.

This was the day Saddam Hussein had been executed. Like it must have been the night before/earlier that morning.

Anyway, I go over to her house and pop Animaniacs in and one of the first cartoons was The Warner Brothers (& sister Dot) visiting Saddam Hussein and annoying him. It must have been made in the nineties.

It was just very strange... I don't know if future generations will feel the same way or even if it would have been the same had we seen it this month, but right after he was executed it was just sort of surreal.

[Rilchiam]

That's because the producers (and the rest of the country) didn't know which teams would actually be in the Super Bowl until a week before the episode was to air. They dubbed in the names of the teams after animation was done, and poked fun at this by having Homer and Moe cover their lips with beer mugs whenever they said the names of the teams- and the president and his wife, in a typical Simpsons gag, since it would be unlikely that they would change before airtime.

And IIRC, that episode aired about the time that Monicagate was gearing up! So that gag took on an unintended irony.

[Sublight]

I would've thought the ultimate example of this was Family Guy's joke about "Let's hope Osama Bin Laden doesn't know showtunes," made before the 9/11 attacks.




In non-fiction, I have a book on German nationalism published in 1989 that ends with speculation on the possibility of re-unification, which the author quickly dismisses as ridiculous since it would require the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The dude was right, he just didn't believe it.

[Annie-Xmas]

In George Orwell's classic 1984 the government is said to run a lottery for the proles (lower working class) giving them dreams of winning big but in reality only handing out small cash prizes. It was set up to give the proles some hope of becoming rich easily.

[LonesomePolecat]

Yes, I pointed that out. Meaning the impracticality of Max's having to remove his shoe to make a call. If he had simply carried the phone in his pocket, or even had one built into his wristwatch, there would have been no humor in it. And as I said, today you can stick your cell phone in your sock if you choose, so that dates the joke.But it was also intended as a take-off of the "spy gadget" bit in the James Bond films that had already become a cliche, e.g. the cigarette pack that's really a camera, the ink pen that shoots poison darts, the auto headlights that turn into rocket launchers, etc.

[mobo85]

Anyway, I go over to her house and pop Animaniacs in and one of the first cartoons was The Warner Brothers (& sister Dot) visiting Saddam Hussein and annoying him.

Sister Slappy.

[Pushkin]

Post Sept. 11, I'd say if a passenger tries to break into the cockpit during a flight I'm on, I will gladly beat him to death and not regret it for an instant, with a hearty "fuck you" for anyone questioning my decision.

Ah. in the UK I did see that after 9/11 and Grissom just seemed even more smug and sanctimonious than usual giving them their dressing down.

Also, the Family Guy joke that sublight noted.

[Elendil's Heir]

...If Hillary wins (big if, natch) history will have made that whole bit obsolete. President Clinton WILL have a husband named Bill. What is so funny about that?....

There's a similar joke in Die Hard 3, released in 1996, about how Hillary will be the 43rd President. Might be - might be! - only one digit off.

[dotchan]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a big deal in most of these movies because the bed the two men are sharing would barely be fit to hold two small children, let alone two adult men. It's the size and the uncomfortable close quarters, not fear of catching "teh ghey."

Except more often than not, they'll wake up the next morning in an Awkward Embrace (tm). :rolleyes:

[RealityChuck]

In Woody Allen's Sleeper, Woody is shown a picture of Richard Nixon, with the man from the future saying to Allen's character, "We think that this man was once president of the US, but did something so terrible that all records of his presidency have been erased." The film came out in 1973; Watergate had begun, but no one realized it would end in Nixon's impeachment, and it moved from Nixon-bashing to a reference to his resignation.

In Bringing Up Baby, Cary Grant was the first to use "gay" meaning "homosexual" in mainstream media because he's wearing Kathering Hepburn's robe. Later, however, Grant, when asked about the robe says, "I'm just waiting for a bus on 42nd Street." At the time, 42nd Street was a known hangout for gays, who, when challenged by the police, would say they were waiting for a bus.

[Don Draper]

There's a Rock Hudson movie from the early 60s with this set-up:

His love interest (I don't think it was Doris Day) has snuck into the all-men's club to visit him. Now she must be smuggled out, so Rock helps her dress up as a man, complete with a fake beard.

In the lobby, an overbearing bully mother is having her very henpecked son join the club so that he'll have a 'respectable, upright, morally-sound" place to stay in the heathen NYC.

Rock & his g.f. walk through the lobby, the g.f. catches sight of herself in the mirror and gasps at how she looks with a beard. Rock assures her that's she beautiful, and kisses her on the lips!

The bully mother sees all of this and recoils in horror. She immediately grabs her son by the arm and yanks him out of the club.

I don't know the name of this flick, but I remember that it was shown as part of a Rock Hudson marathon the day after the actor died from AIDS in RL.

[OneCentStamp]

Speaking of Back to the Future, when he orders a "Pepsi Free" from the soda clerk, and is told, "If you want a Pepsi, you'll have to pay for it." Pepsi has a caffeine free drink now, but the Pepsi Free slogan (don't know if it was ever a trademark) is a thing of the past.
That was a terrible joke, too.

Marty: Give me a Tab.
Shop Owner: How can I give you a tab if you haven't ordered anything?
Marty: Well, give me a Pepsi Free.
Shop Owner: Hey buddy, if you want a Pepsi, you're gonna pay for it!
Marty: Just give me something without any sugar.
Shop Owner plunks a cup of black coffee in front of Marty.

The only problem is, Pepsi Free was free of caffeine, not sugar. That gag grated on me even at the time, and I was like 12. :mad:

[sciurophobic]

Anyway, I go over to her house and pop Animaniacs in and one of the first cartoons was The Warner Brothers (& sister Dot) visiting Saddam Hussein and annoying him. It must have been made in the nineties.



Sister Slappy.

"And their Warner Sister Dot." Slappy was the cranky old squirrel.

[OneCentStamp]

In non-fiction, I have a book on German nationalism published in 1989 that ends with speculation on the possibility of re-unification, which the author quickly dismisses as ridiculous since it would require the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The dude was right, he just didn't believe it.
Wow, really? Was it really that precipitous a fall? Did people not see the writing on the wall by 1989?

[NDP]

Wow, really? Was it really that precipitous a fall? Did people not see the writing on the wall by 1989?

Definitely. Even the hardcore Reaganite conservatives who believed communism was destined to be consigned to the "dustbin of history" thought the whole process would take about 20 years.

And nobody thought the USSR would collapse as quickly as it did in 1991 (complete with other socialist republics becoming independent).

[pizzabrat]

"And their Warner Sister Dot." Slappy was the cranky old squirrel.Yes, and the episode you're referring to was the crazy mixed up episode where the characters were switched around. Remember? Pinky and the cat (Rita)? Pesto and Runt? The Warner Brothers and their sister Slappy?

I don't think you're geeky enough for the internet...

[OneCentStamp]

Definitely. Even the hardcore Reaganite conservatives who believed communism was destined to be consigned to the "dustbin of history" thought the whole process would take about 20 years.

And nobody thought the USSR would collapse as quickly as it did in 1991 (complete with other socialist republics becoming independent).
Wow, my own memory seems to have revised history on me. Hell, I graduated high school in 1991; it isn't ancient history or anything! :( :smack:

[panache45]

Not merely a joke, but an entire career: Vaughn Meader's The First Family, released in 1962. It satirized JFK, his administration and his family. It broke all sorts of records in sales and won the "best album" Grammy. Everyone, including JFK himself, loved the album, and Vaughn Meader was an instant superstar.

Then came November 22, 1963. The album was pulled off the shelves, Meader's career was effectively over, and he basically never performed again, with a few rare exceptions.

[Morgyn]

Not merely a joke, but an entire career: Vaughn Meader's The First Family, released in 1962. It satirized JFK, his administration and his family. It broke all sorts of records in sales and won the "best album" Grammy. Everyone, including JFK himself, loved the album, and Vaughn Meader was an instant superstar.I think I have that album. I really ought to listen to it.

[Freudian Slit]

And IIRC, that episode aired about the time that Monicagate was gearing up! So that gag took on an unintended irony.
Actually, I thought that was why they did the mug over the mouth thing--because they knew what might happen. And there was a joke about Al Gore measuring the curtains towards the end of the episode, too, right?

[Civil Guy]

This one's ancient:

A man goes into a coma in 1954, comes out of it in 1972. His first question upon waking is, "How's President Eisenhower doing?" The nurse tells him, "Eisenhower's dead."

The man is horrified. "Oh my god! That bastard Nixon is President!"


Well, the meaning of the joke hasn't changed, really, except that few would really appreciate now just how slippery Nixon might have seemed as early as 1954.

[The Hamster King]

Then came November 22, 1963. The album was pulled off the shelves, Meader's career was effectively over, and he basically never performed again, with a few rare exceptions.Lenny Bruce started his first show after the assassination with a long sigh ... then ... "Poor Vaughn Meader ... ."

[maggenpye]

Wow, really? Was it really that precipitous a fall? Did people not see the writing on the wall by 1989?
The phrase 'the writing on the wall' took on a new meaning for a while after the Berlin wall came down. (or was that a woosh?)

Also, Pink Floyd used the Berlin Wall as a backdrop for a live performance of one of their albums (what was the name again...) because of the extra meaning the location imparted.

[Pushkin]

Thinking again, when I'm watching my VHS tapes of Star Trek, any time Spock mentions information held on "tapes", I think to myself that he and I must be the only ones left using them :p

[Annie-Xmas]

In last night's rerun of Designing Women, Suzanne is getting Anthony dressed up as a women so he can go to immigrant and get Suzanne's maid Consuela's Green Card for her, handling the interview and the test. Having anyone obtain a Green Card under false pretenses is no longer funny.

He also said the wig made him look like Jane Wyman.

[twickster]

Also, Pink Floyd used the Berlin Wall as a backdrop for a live performance of one of their albums (what was the name again...) because of the extra meaning the location imparted.
Rio?

[iamthewalrus(:3=]

Well, there's the Simpsons episode in which Bart and Lisa watch Steve Irwin torn to pieces by a crocodile and lament missing the "feeding frenzy". His death made that joke either funnier or more tasteless, depending on your viewpoint.Can't it be both?

Like the late Earl Warren.

[Roadfood]

This made me curious, so I checked the online OED: (Thank you, Seattle Public Library account.) So the term long predates Amos' song. Common? Harder to tell -- though a quick Google Groups search turns up 6 hits on the phrase "burn a cd" before 12/31/1993, so it wasn't unheard of. None of those refer to literal flames, but a couple of them mean "record and release an album" rather than "make a copy of a CD at home."

At the very least, it makes the Amos lyric ambiguous.Even more so: Is there any reason to think that the song isn't talking about setting a match to to a Certificate of Deposit, aka a CD?

[Freudian Slit]

Can't it be both?

Like the late Earl Warren.
Now who's being naive, iamthewalrus?

[Blake]

]...a quick Google Groups search turns up 6 hits on the phrase "burn a cd" before 12/31/1993, so it wasn't unheard of. None of those refer to literal flames, but a couple of them mean "record and release an album" rather than "make a copy of a CD at home."

At the very least, it makes the Amos lyric ambiguous.

Not really.

Although the term 'burn' was doubtless used in some techie circles to refer to making a CD prior to 1994 (as your references show) nobody outside of those circles would ever have used it that way, and once again your references show that too: all the pre-1994 references are from technical sources, not from Newsweek or popular TV. More importantly as late as 1998 the term was still sufficiently unusual to demand the use of quotation marks around "burn".

I had a lot of friends in the early 90s who were studying or working in IT, and I had never heard the term "burn a CD" used to mean create a CD. Moreover CD burners just weren't publicly available in 1994. I can remember seeing my first burner in 1995, and that was in the computer of a very tech savvy freind who had all the latest gadgets; it cost as much to buy blank CDs as to buy music CDs.

Suffice to to say that absolutely nobody who bought the album in 1994 thought it meant anything other than literaly setting fire to CDs. The meaning was in no way ambiguous to the audience then If the author intended it to be ambiguous then she failed miserably and was using a term that could only possibly have meaning toy someone intimately familiar with the music or cutting edge IT industries.