Wait, that's real?

[Nobody]

Mods, I hope this is the right forum. Sorry if it's not.

What things have you heard, seen, or read, that you thought was made up for the book, song, TV show, movie, whatever, that you later found out was real?

If that question's a little confusing, I'll give some examples, and I promise you I wasn't born and raised in a cave or under a rock.

Although I never heard the whole song, for years I heard the part of "Let's call the whole thing off" that goes
You like po-tay-to and I like po-tah-to,
You like to-may-to and I like to-mah-to
Even though I had heard plenty of British people speak, it was only a few years ago that I found out that to-mah-to is the British pronunciation and wasn't just made up for the song.

In the Simpsons episode "'Round Springfield" I didn't realize that Jazzman was an actual song. I thought it was made up for the show.

And finally, one time after walking home from high-school I saw a sticker on the back of a truck that said, "How's my driving? Call 1-800-Eat-Shit". I had a good laugh and didn't think much more about it. Then, years later, maybe even a decade or so, I saw a sticker on the back of a vehicle that gave a legitimate number and I realized that the joke I saw was actually based on something real and not just made up.

But enough of me looking like an idiot. Now it's your turn.

[Sticks and Scones]

Bimbo Bread. Pronounced, of course as Beem-bow.

Actually, I know it's real, but, really? Wow.

[saje]

I grew up saying to-mah-to and I'm from CT, originally.

[Rilchiam]

There really was an Ethelred the Unready.

[davidm]

Originally Posted by Sticks and Scones

Bimbo Bread. Pronounced, of course as Beem-bow.

Actually, I know it's real, but, really? Wow.

I pass one of their plants every day on the way to work. It gave me a chuckle the first few times.

[Lucretia]

Originally Posted by saje

I grew up saying to-mah-to and I'm from CT, originally.

I'm from CT, and I did that, too. I also pronounce 'aunt' with that sound, instead of like the insect. I have a tendency to pronounce a lot of my mid-word A's that way, actually, and am usually roundly made fun of for it. It took me months of mocking to finally start saying Nev-aaa-da instead of Ne-vahhh-da after I moved here.

[CalMeacham]

I was surprised to learn that there really was a Sultan of Swat* It wasn't just made up as a title for Babe Ruth. Swat is a state in Pakistan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Swat




*actually, it was originally given as Akhwand of Swat, but Sultan of Swat was more alliterative. Before Babe Ruth "Akhwand of Swat" appears to have been a title viewed by Americans as humorous, and used in humorous cir5cumstances. No doubt because of the sound.

[Tamex]

I thought my mother made up Loudon Wainwright III's "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road".

[Little Nemo]

When I first read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, I wasn't aware that many of the poems were parodies of existing poems that were well-known in Carroll's day.

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

When I first read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, I wasn't aware that many of the poems were parodies of existing poems that were well-known in Carroll's day.

I did not know this. Time to read the Annotated edition, I guess...

[Farmer Jane]

Not very nice of me to say, but I never thought black people named their kids Laquesha and Fanesha and stuff until I moved out to Colorado. All the black folk in Iowa had European 'Merkin names (unless they were immigrants from Africa, of course).

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by Sunspace

I did not know this. Time to read the Annotated edition, I guess...

These are public domain, so I assume this is okay.

"Against Idleness and Mischief" by Isaac Watts

How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower!

How skillfully she builds her cell!
How neat she spreads the wax!
And labours hard to store it well
With the sweet food she makes.

In works of labour or of skill,
I would be busy too;
For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do.

In books, or work, or healthful play,
Let my first years be passed,
That I may give for every day
Some good account at last.

"How Doth the Little Crocodile" by Lewis Carroll

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!

"The Old Man's Comforts and How He Gained Them" by Robert Southey

"You are old, father William," the young man cried,
"The few locks which are left you are grey;
You are hale, father William, a hearty old man;
Now tell me the reason, I pray."

"In the days of my youth," father William replied,
"I remember'd that youth would fly fast,
And abus'd not my health and my vigour at first,
That I never might need them at last."

"You are old, father William," the young man cried,
"And pleasures with youth pass away.
And yet you lament not the days that are gone;
Now tell me the reason, I pray."

"In the days of my youth," father William replied,
"I rememberd that youth could not last;
I thought of the future, whatever I did,
That I never might grieve for the past."

"You are old, father William," the young man cried,
"And life must be hast'ning away;
You are cheerful and love to converse upon death;
Now tell me the reason, I pray."

"I am cheerful, young man," father William replied,
"Let the cause thy attention engage;
In the days of my youth I remember'd my God!
And He hath not forgotten my age."

"You Are Old, Father William" by Lewis Carroll

"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head—
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," Father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old," said the youth, "As I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door—
Pray, what is the reason of that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment—one shilling the box—
Allow me to sell you a couple?"

"You are old," said the youth, "And your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak—
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose—
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father; "don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!"

"The Star" by Jane Taylor

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark.
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
How I wonder what you are.

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat" by Lewis Carroll

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!

"The Sluggard" by Isaac Watts

'Tis the voice of the sluggard; I heard him complain,
"You have waked me too soon, I must slumber again."
As the door on its hinges, so he on his bed,
Turns his sides and his shoulders and his heavy head.

"A little more sleep, and a little more slumber;"
Thus he wastes half his days, and his hours without number,
And when he gets up, he sits folding his hands,
Or walks about sauntering, or trifling he stands.

I pass'd by his garden, and saw the wild brier,
The thorn and the thistle grow broader and higher;
The clothes that hang on him are turning to rags;
And his money still wastes till he starves or he begs.

I made him a visit, still hoping to find
That he took better care for improving his mind:
He told me his dreams, talked of eating and drinking;
But scarce reads his Bible, and never loves thinking.

Said I then to my heart, "Here's a lesson for me,"
This man's but a picture of what I might be:
But thanks to my friends for their care in my breeding,
Who taught me betimes to love working and reading.

"Tis the Voice of the Lobster" by Lewis Carroll

'Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him declare
"You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair."
As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose
Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.

When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark,
And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark;
But, when the tide rises and sharks are around,
His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.

I passed by his garden, and marked, with one eye,
How the Owl and the Panther were sharing a pie:
The Panther took pie-crust, and gravy, and meat,
While the Owl had the dish as its share of the treat.

When the pie was all finished, the Owl, as a boon,
Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon;
While the Panther received knife and fork with a growl,
And concluded the banquet by (eating the Owl)

"Speak Gently" by David Bates

Speak gently! -- It is better far
To rule by love, than fear --
Speak gently -- let not harsh words mar
The good we might do here!

Speak gently! -- Love doth whisper low
The vows that true hearts bind;
And gently Friendship's accents flow;
Affection's voice is kind.

Speak gently to the little child!
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild: --
It may not long remain.

Speak gently to the young, for they
Will have enough to bear --
Pass through this life as best they may,
'T is full of anxious care!

Speak gently to the aged one,
Grieve not the care-worn heart;
The sands of life are nearly run,
Let such in peace depart!

Speak gently, kindly, to the poor;
Let no harsh tone be heard;
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word!

Speak gently to the erring -- know,
They may have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
Oh, win them back again!

Speak gently! -- He who gave his life
To bend man's stubborn will,
When elements were in fierce strife,
Said to them, 'Peace, be still.'

Speak gently! -- 't is a little thing
Dropped in the heart's deep well;
The good, the joy, which it may bring,
Eternity shall tell.

"Speak Roughly to Your Little Boy" by Lewis Carroll

"Speak roughly to your little boy,
And beat him when he sneezes;
He only does it to annoy,
Because he knows it teases."

"I speak severely to my boy,
I beat him when he sneezes;
For he can thoroughly enjoy
The pepper when he pleases!"

"The Spider and the Fly" by Mary Howitt

“Will you step into my parlor?” said the spider to the fly;
“’Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many pretty things to show when you are there.”
“O no, no,” said the little fly, “to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.”

“I’m sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?” said the spider to the fly.
“There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I’ll snugly tuck you in.”
“O no, no,” said the little fly, “for I’ve often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed.”

Said the cunning spider to the fly, “Dear friend, what shall I do,
To prove the warm affection I’ve always felt for you?
I have within my pantry good store of all that’s nice;
I’m sure you’re very welcome; will you please to take a slice?”
“O no, no,” said the little fly, “kind sir, that cannot be;
I’ve heard what’s in your pantry, and I do not wish to see.”

“Sweet creature!” said the spider, “You’re witty and you’re wise!
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf,
If you’ll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.”
“I thank you, gentle sir,” she said, “for what you’re pleased to say,
And bidding you good-morning now, I’ll call another day.”

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon be back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing
“Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with the pearl and silver wing:
Your robes are green and purple; there’s a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead.”

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly,
Hearing his wily flattering words, came slowly flitting by.
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue;
Thinking only of her crested head — poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlor; but she ne’er came out again!

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you ne’er give heed;
Unto an evil counselor close heart, and ear, and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly.

"The Lobster Quadrille" by Lewis Carroll

"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail,
"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle -- will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?

"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance --
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.

"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.
"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France --
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?

[cmyk]

Amy Poehler's character who wrote a book in an episode in this season of Parks and Recreation, Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America by Leslie Knope.

It's funny, if you're a fan of the show.

[Crowbar of Irony +3]

Wilky Wonka Chocolate, though later did I realize that it was produced to capitalize on the movies.

[Ellen Cherry]

Moving to Cafe Society, from IMHO.

[DeweyDecibel]

There was an episode of 30 Rock in which Tina Fey dated a guy who wanted to see a really terrible sounding movie - Hot Tub Time Machine. I thought that title was so ridiculous that it was an obvious parody of bad films; even a bit over the top as a parody.

Real movie, with John Cusack.

[jjimm]

I knew the Father William poem was a parody but had never read the original. The Lewis Carroll one is now even more awesome.

[cmkeller]

In the James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun", James visits an MI-6 office based in a ship half-sunken in Hong Kong harbor. I assumed it was just made up for the movie, but apparently the Queen Elizabeth is a real sunken ship there. Also, there's a bar in that movie called the "Bottoms Up" club which I also thought was a movie invention, but is real.

[campp]

I thought the Edmond Fitzgerarald was just a story Gordon Lightfoot dreamed up.

[Pine Fresh Scent]

I didn't know Alfred Molina's character in Boogie Nights was based on real-life gangster Eddie Nash until I watched Val Kilmer as John Holmes in Wonderland.

Wonderland ends with Gordon Lightfoot's song "If You Could Read My Mind", which led me to buy his greatest hits CD which contains "The Edmund Fitzgerald".

And thus, the circle of life is complete.

[bienville]

I honestly believed that the snippet of "Dream Weaver" repeated through the movie Wayne's World was written just for the movie.

It really and truly sounded to me like Myers and Spheeris had discussed it and agreed "Yes, we need horribly cheesy love song music with god-awful lyrics for these comedic 'falling in love' bumper shots!" They then, I assumed, got a jingle writer with a sense of humor (maybe Myers himself) and some studio musicians and put together "Music Cue #17: Cheesy Love Theme".

A few years after seeing the film, I heard the song on some Hits of the 70s station. My jaw dropped. I was shocked to find that this was a real song that had been recorded in earnest and taken seriously.

[DrFidelius]

Originally Posted by CalMeacham

I was surprised to learn that there really was a Sultan of Swat* It wasn't just made up as a title for Babe Ruth. Swat is a state in Pakistan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Swat




*actually, it was originally given as Akhwand of Swat, but Sultan of Swat was more alliterative. Before Babe Ruth "Akhwand of Swat" appears to have been a title viewed by Americans as humorous, and used in humorous cir5cumstances. No doubt because of the sound.

Seconded.

[Hail Ants]

This is a little obscure, but it Kubrick's Clockwork Orange the 'Milk Bar' they go to. I had no idea these were a real British thing. I was positive it was just another wacky gag thought up by one of the film's 'visual futurists'...

[Jack Batty]

Last month I read The Lost City of Z by David Grann, an account of explorer Percy Fawcett's adventures/disappearance in the Amazon basin.

When I picked up the book, I thought it was an historical fiction. I thought "Percy Fawcett" was a completely made up character. I thought all the quotes and footnotes included in the book were there for effect. In fact ... here's where I really sound stupid ... I thought it was going to be about zombies -- City of Z?

I didn't figure out that I was reading a non-fiction book until I was several chapters in, after I read about Fawcett on Wikipedia.

[joebuck20]

There are a bunch from South Park. Two that stand out:

NAMBLA, the North American Man Boy Love Association, from the episode where Eric attends a child molester convention thinking it's a good way to meet grown-up friends. When I saw the episode years back I had no reason to believe that it wasn't just something that producers made up for the show. Then about a week later I heard an interview with Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and was stunned to learn that the organization was indeed real.

Then there's the episode where Eric pretends to be retarded so he can take part in the Special Olympics. During a training montage, there's a really cheesy, overwrought, '80s sounding song, "Push it to the Limit." Surely, I thought, that had to be made up. But no, it's a real song, and was even in Scarface, the quintessential, cheesy, overwrought, '80s action flick.

[WordMan]

In the U.S., "spastic" is nothing more than an adjective one might use to be insulting or condescending to someone who is clumsy or awkward - there is an inkling that it might relate to something clinical, but it's a lot more likely that someone would just toss off "jeez, you are SUCH a spazz."

As an exchange student in Scotland, I was at a friend's house with his parents when there was a knock on the door. Everyone was cooking, so they asked me to answer. "Help the Spastics?" was the pleasant opening line from the woman at the door holding out a cup for a donation.

I lost it (I was a stupid 19yo at the time), burst out laughing and ran back in the house. I had to leave it to my friend's parents to wash their hands, attend to the folks at the door and give them a BIG donation.

I have no clue if "spastic" is still legitimately used in Scotland or the greater UK...

[Shakester]

Originally Posted by Hail Ants

This is a little obscure, but it Kubrick's Clockwork Orange the 'Milk Bar' they go to. I had no idea these were a real British thing. I was positive it was just another wacky gag thought up by one of the film's 'visual futurists'...

Here in Australia corner shops are generally referred to as Milk Bars. I'm pretty sure it's a relic of the temperance movement. No idea why the term ended up applied to small general shops, though.

[Shakester]

Originally Posted by WordMan

I have no clue if "spastic" is still legitimately used in Scotland or the greater UK...

It's gone out of fashion, for entirely explicable reasons. I have a friend I've known for over 30 years now who has cerebral palsy. In the 70s, she went to Spastic School, which was what it was actually called back then.

That's in Australia, but "spastic" was probably the normal word to describe cerebral palsy in the US, too, until people turned it into a general purpose insult, in much the same way that "retarded" was simply a descriptive word once.

[justrob]

Originally Posted by Crowbar of Irony +3

Wilky Wonka Chocolate, though later did I realize that it was produced to capitalize on the movies.

I'm pretty sure the movie got produced to promote the new candy bar. Not the other way around.

[WordMan]

Originally Posted by Shakester

It's gone out of fashion, for entirely explicable reasons. I have a friend I've known for over 30 years now who has cerebral palsy. In the 70s, she went to Spastic School, which was what it was actually called back then.

That's in Australia, but "spastic" was probably the normal word to describe cerebral palsy in the US, too, until people turned it into a general purpose insult, in much the same way that "retarded" was simply a descriptive word once.

Got it - and yep, "retarded" was actually the nicer word introduced to stop folks from using classification words like moron, imbecile and idiot...and look where it got us; now it's "the R-Word"...

[Shakester]

Of course, there's a Wiki page about the word spastic, which explains all.

The Spastics Society is now called Scope.

[davidm]

Originally Posted by WordMan

In the U.S., "spastic" is nothing more than an adjective one might use to be insulting or condescending to someone who is clumsy or awkward - there is an inkling that it might relate to something clinical, but it's a lot more likely that someone would just toss off "jeez, you are SUCH a spazz."...

Spastic is not "nothing more than an adjective one might use to be insulting or condescending to someone who is clumsy or awkward", in the U.S. or elsewhere. It is a current medical term (not just an inkling), e.g. "spastic diplegia" or "spastic colon".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spasticity

[runner pat]

Originally Posted by justrob

I'm pretty sure the movie got produced to promote the new candy bar. Not the other way around.

The candy came out in conjuction with the movie.

From Wiki.

The Willy Wonka Candy Company is a brand of candy owned by the Nestlé company using licensed materials from Roald Dahl's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and its two film adaptations for their packaging and marketing. The brand started in 1971, coinciding with the release of the first film adaptation.

[Robot Arm]

In the Futurama episode Parasite's Lost, the Professor attempts to expel parasites from Fry by miniaturizing the ship and crew and stimulating Fry's pelvic splanchnic ganglion.

I just thought that was perfect, made-up, anatomical mumbo jumbo. But apparently, there really is a pelvic splanchnic ganglion.

[WordMan]

Originally Posted by davidm

Spastic is not "nothing more than an adjective one might use to be insulting or condescending to someone who is clumsy or awkward", in the U.S. or elsewhere. It is a current medical term (not just an inkling), e.g. "spastic diplegia" or "spastic colon".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spasticity

Of course you're right...which is why I posted this to a thread entitled "Wait, that's real?"

Shakester, thanks for the link.

[KneadToKnow]

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the word gullible isn't actually in the dictionary ...

[elfkin477]

The outcry about the title change of the first Harry Potter book/movie only made sense to me when I figured out years later that Nicolas Flamel was a real person, not someone made up for the story and therefore there actually was (thought to be) something called a philosopher's stone.

[lost4life]

Originally Posted by KneadToKnow

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the word gullible isn't actually in the dictionary ...

It always amazes me at how many people think it's a real word.

Anyhoo, the movie Nacho Libre is a true* story!


*Well, loosely based on real events.

[CalMeacham]

Originally Posted by elfkin477

The outcry about the title change of the first Harry Potter book/movie only made sense to me when I figured out years later that Nicolas Flamel was a real person, not someone made up for the story and therefore there actually was (thought to be) something called a philosopher's stone.

I'd heard of the "Philosopher's Stone" lonbg before Harry Potter, and the concept existed with or without Nicholas Flamel (although i was impressed that Rowling found an actual alchemist for her book). I thought it was incsulting that Scholastic felt they had to change the title to "Sorceror's Stone". If Scholastic books aren't about teaching kids things, their name is unfitting.

This is a little obscure, but it Kubrick's Clockwork Orange the 'Milk Bar' they go to. I had no idea these were a real British thing. I was positive it was just another wacky gag thought up by one of the film's 'visual futurists'...

I don't think any "milk bars" like the one in [ui]Clockwork Orange[/i] actually exist -- the point of that bar (which is in Burgess' original novel) is that the milk you drink is dosed with drugs -- "synthemesc" and other such things.

The name of the bar -- Korova Milk Bar -- is Russian for "cow", in keeping with Burgess' Russian-influenced future slang.

[davidm]

Originally Posted by WordMan

Of course you're right...which is why I posted this to a thread entitled "Wait, that's real?"

Shakester, thanks for the link.

You said that it was only an insult in the US. Your "wait that's real" revelation was not that you were wrong about that. It was that you had discovered a different usage (from what you thought was the usual use) in the UK.

I was pointing out that your belief about US usage was incorrect. Spastic is a pretty common medical term in the US.

No need for the rolleyes.

[justrob]

Originally Posted by runner pat

The candy came out in conjuction with the movie.

From Wiki.

Yes, but one was the reason for the other.

From Wiki.The idea for adapting the book into a film came about when director Mel Stuart's 10-year-old daughter read the book and asked her father to make a movie out of it, with "Uncle Dave" (producer David L. Wolper) producing it. Stuart showed the book to Wolper, who happened to be in the midst of talks with the Quaker Oats Company regarding a vehicle to introduce a new candy bar from their Chicago-based Breaker Confections subsidiary (since renamed The Willy Wonka Candy Company and sold to Nestlé). Wolper convinced the company, who had no previous experience in the film industry, to buy the rights to the book and finance the picture for the purpose of promoting a new Quaker Oats Wonka Bar.[2]

[WordMan]

Originally Posted by davidm

I was pointing out that your belief about US usage was incorrect. Spastic is a pretty common medical term in the US.

No need for the rolleyes.

Not to a silly teenager growing up in a Spielbergian suburb - "spazz" or "spastic" was just a word we used with no regard for its origin, like "queer" "gay" "lame" or whatever. Ignorance was....ignorance.

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by joebuck20

Then there's the episode where Eric pretends to be retarded so he can take part in the Special Olympics. During a training montage, there's a really cheesy, overwrought, '80s sounding song, "Push it to the Limit." Surely, I thought, that had to be made up. But no, it's a real song, and was even in Scarface, the quintessential, cheesy, overwrought, '80s action flick.

And the story is also semi-real. There have been non-handicapped people who cheated by competing in the Special Olympics.

[muldoonthief]

I learned right on this board that the cheesy song in "Animal House" that the guy with the guitar sings at the toga party - "...I gave my love a chicken that had no bones..." was a real song, not just written for the movie.

[joebuck20]

The episode of Seinfeld where Kramer gets kicked in the head and starts blurting out "YOYOMA." At first I thought it was just some funny-sounding gibberish that the writers had made up, and it was only later that I learned Yo Yo Ma was actually a cellist.

[Miss Mapp]

In "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," Miss Brodie refers to her ancestor William Brodie, who fathered a number of children by his two mistresses, robbed the Excise Office, and "died cheerfully on a gibbet of his own devising." I had always assumed that he was as fictional a character as she was--but it turns out that he was a real historical figure in 18th century Edinburgh.

[Pyper]

When I was a child, I thought mitochondria were something that Madeleine L'Engle had made up for her book A Wind in the Door. (The children travel inside Charles Wallace's mitochondria in order to save his life.) Imagine my surprise in biology class several years later.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Originally Posted by Pyper

When I was a child, I thought mitochondria were something that Madeleine L'Engle had made up for her book A Wind in the Door. (The children travel inside Charles Wallace's mitochondria in order to save his life.) Imagine my surprise in biology class several years later.

And my disappointment when we never covered farandolae.

[Eyebrows 0f Doom]

That the song "Red Solo Cup" as seen in a recent episode of Glee is actually a real song by Toby Keith.

[Pixel_Dent]

Originally Posted by cmkeller

In the James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun", James visits an MI-6 office based in a ship half-sunken in Hong Kong harbor. I assumed it was just made up for the movie, but apparently the Queen Elizabeth is a real sunken ship there. Also, there's a bar in that movie called the "Bottoms Up" club which I also thought was a movie invention, but is real.

Another James Bond one. I always assumed Fleming made up SMERSH for the books, but at some point I discovered there actually was a СМЕРШ counter intelligence agency during WW2.