# Aspects of pop culture people seem to misunderstand **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417 "2013-01-16T20:56:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/21 "2013-01-17T16:54:02Z")
Cartoonacy: > [@](#): > > Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…It took three books to find out exactly what that question was. I don’t recall that we ever found out the question. (Of course, there is a theory that says if the question were discovered, the universe would be wiped out and replaced by something even more confusing and inexplicable.) (Another theory states that this has already happened.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/22 "2013-01-17T16:59:58Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > The “Thin Man” was not played by William Powell in the first movie. But after it was a success, sequels used the “Thin Man” in the titles presumably to show some continuity of the Nick and Nora Charles characters. Same thing with the Pink Panther series. In the first movie, the Pink Panther was a jewel stolen by David Niven’s character, who was the movie’s lead. Peter Sellers played a supporting character, the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. Clouseau was such a popular character that a quickie sequel was made with him as the main character: _A Shot In the Dark_. Then there was a second sequel, _Inspector Clouseau_, where Alan Arkin played Clouseau. After a gap of a few years, Sellers returned to the role and began a series of films playing Clouseau. These films used the Pink Panther in their title to connect with the original film, even though the actual jewel was only mentioned in the first of them: _The Return of the Pink Panther_, _The Pink Panther Strikes Again_, and _Revenge of the Pink Panther_. After this, things went downhill. Sellers died but they used some leftover footage from previous films to make _Trail of the Pink Panther_. Then they made a movie where people were looking for the missing Clouseau, _Curse of the Pink Panther_, with Roger Moore playing a cameo as Clouseau. Then Roberto Benigni played Clouseau’s son in _Son of the Pink Panther_. And Steve Martin recently rebooted the series with two movies. So there are eleven Clouseau movies, nine of which have the Pink Panther in the title, even though the Pink Panther jewel only appears in three of them. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/23 "2013-01-17T18:06:08Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Cartoonacy: > > I don’t recall that we ever found out the question. (Of course, there is a theory that says if the question were discovered, the universe would be wiped out and replaced by something even more confusing and inexplicable.) > > (Another theory states that this has already happened.) Agreed. I was 😕 about **Cartoonacy’s** reference to three books, as the third book didn’t even touch on the answer or the questions IIRC. The end of the second book gave us a wrong question - Arthur and Ford had already worked out that it would be wrong before they found it, but thought that it might be a clue to the right question. The end of the fourth book gives us the theory about the answer and the question cancelling each other out and taking the universe with them. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/24 "2013-01-17T19:54:06Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > The creatures at the end of the movie AI were NOT aliens. They were superadvanced robots. And it isn’t open to interpretation in any other way. I saw an interview with Kathleen Kennedy(producer) years and years ago where she said she and Spielberg were stunned that anyone thought they were aliens and that their intention had only ever been for it to be clearly robots in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/25 "2013-01-17T20:31:50Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Rocky loses in the original Rocky. That was the whole point. No one expected him to be able to last more than a couple of rounds with the champ but he went the whole 15 rounds and lost only to a fairly close decision. Yes, we discussed this in the Rocky thread just recently. The whole point is that Rocky could never win. He was a nobody. The best he could hope for was not lose quickly - he lasted all 15 rounds. And at the end of the movie, the only thing he cares about is Adrien, not how he did in the match. > [@Cartoonacy](#): > > **Quantum Leap.** People who weren’t regular watchers often seem to think that Sam Beckett’s mind occupied the bodies of the people he “leaped into.” But the premise of the show is that he physically replaced those people, while a kind of holographic (or telepathic?) illusion gave him the appearance of the people he replaced. Is that true? I watched a string of the episodes, but not from the beginning. We generally see him look at a reflection to see what he looks like, and they obviously used Scott Bakula actually playing the role, but was is specifically stated one way or the other? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/26 "2013-01-17T20:42:18Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Yes, we discussed this in the Rocky thread just recently. The whole point is that Rocky could never win. He was a nobody. The best he could hope for was not lose quickly - he lasted all 15 rounds. And at the end of the movie, the only thing he cares about is Adrien, not how he did in the match. > > Is that true? I watched a string of the episodes, but not from the beginning. We generally see him look at a reflection to see what he looks like, and they obviously used Scott Bakula actually playing the role, but was is specifically stated one way or the other? A couple of episodes have plot points–sometimes major–that hinge on the idea that this is Sam’s body disguised as the original person. Thewar veteran amputee episode is the first one that springs to mind. He stands up from his wheelchair and you see what the other person sees and it’s like Phantom Limb from the Venture Brothers. He’s just “floating” on invisible lower legs. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/27 "2013-01-17T20:48:27Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Is that true? I watched a string of the episodes, but not from the beginning. We generally see him look at a reflection to see what he looks like, and they obviously used Scott Bakula actually playing the role, but was is specifically stated one way or the other? Well, we would occasionally actually see the “jumpees” in some kind of holding room, so it seems obvious that they’re actually switching whole bodies and not just consciousness. (My most vivid memories of this are Dr. Ruth and some kind of vampire or monster or something.) ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/28 "2013-01-17T20:48:54Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > A couple of episodes have plot points–sometimes major–that hinge on the idea that this is Sam’s body disguised as the original person. Another is the episode where he leaps into the space chimp. According to the episode (and NOT true in real life), chimpanzees can’t swim, but Sam manages to do so to save somebody. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/29 "2013-01-17T21:10:26Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Classic examples are mis-quoted famous lines. > Casablanca and Empire Strikes Back for sure. Casablanca yes, but which famous line in TESB gets misquoted? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/30 "2013-01-17T21:14:39Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Well, we would occasionally actually see the “jumpees” in some kind of holding room, so it seems obvious that they’re actually switching whole bodies and not just consciousness. (My most vivid memories of this are Dr. Ruth and some kind of vampire or monster or something.) Don’t forget Lee Harvey. > [@buddha\_david](#): > > Casablanca yes, but which famous line in TESB gets misquoted? 😕 I would guess “I’m your father, Luke” as opposed to “Luke, I am your father.” (Or something like that.) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/31 "2013-01-17T21:53:53Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Well, we would occasionally actually see the “jumpees” in some kind of holding room, so it seems obvious that they’re actually switching whole bodies and not just consciousness. (My most vivid memories of this are Dr. Ruth and some kind of vampire or monster or something.) I remember Dr Ruth, but not any vampires. The “aura” meant that anyone local to the time period (as well as Sam himself) saw him as whomover he replaced. I also remember an episode involving a pregnant woman and he being very important that Sam leap before the baby was born. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/32 "2013-01-17T22:29:35Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > **Doctor Who.** As everyone who has ever watched it at all knows, there is no character named “Doctor Who.” The protagonist is simply called “The Doctor,” causing some people who meet him to wonder, “Doctor _who_?” In fairness, many episodes actually list the character as “Doctor Who” in the closing credits, including the first 17 years of the original run as well as the entire Eccleston series. nuWho only changed it to “The Doctor” upon David Tennant’s suggestion when he took over the role. > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I would guess “I’m your father, Luke” as opposed to “Luke, I am your father.” (Or something like that.) The actual line is “No. I am your father” with “Luke, I am your father” as the common misquote. As for Quantum Leap, there was also the time Sam fathered a child during a leap, and she was very much Sam’s bio-daughter, not the daughter of the guy he’d lept into. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/33 "2013-01-17T22:35:23Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I remember Dr Ruth, but not any vampires. The episode right after Dr. Ruth was about Sam leaping into a guy who was (with his wife) involved in some kind of vampire ritual cult, and the very last scene of the Dr. Ruth episode was her leaping back into her life and this guy leaping into the Waiting Room, IIRC, dressed up like a vampire. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/34 "2013-01-17T22:47:21Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Well, we would occasionally actually see the “jumpees” in some kind of holding room, so it seems obvious that they’re actually switching whole bodies and not just consciousness. (My most vivid memories of this are Dr. Ruth and some kind of vampire or monster or something.) Okay, I guess I didn’t see those episodes. Thanks, that clears it up a bit. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/35 "2013-01-17T22:54:54Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Okay, I guess I didn’t see those episodes. Thanks, that clears it up a bit. I don’t think they actually had the Waiting Room as an actual set until the later seasons. Three episodes of the several that it featured in are from Season 5, I think. Adding to the sense that they actually transfer bodies, Sam _can’t leap unless the current leapee is in the Waiting Room_. This was established in one episode where he leaps to a murderer and the murderer escapes the Waiting Room at gunpoint, causing Sam to be stuck. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/36 "2013-01-18T02:15:16Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > This is true, that people use the name “Frankenstein” for the monster as well as the creature. But, again, this isn’t a recent error, as some seem to think. It was being done in reviews and the cast credits even in Shelley’s lifetime. As many writers on the topic have pointed out, there’s an implied duality between the Creature and the Creator that makes this a pretty natural thing. I figure the creature is the creator’s son, and just as entitled to the name. That makes conversations much easier. (I also still say “Indians”–if anyone objects, I just claim it’s short for “Indigenous Americans.”) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/37 "2013-01-18T02:40:18Z")
The most obvious one in popular music is probably “Born in the USA” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/38 "2013-01-18T02:42:42Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The most obvious one in popular music is probably “Born in the USA” Or playing **Every Breath You Take** at your wedding. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/39 "2013-01-18T02:47:55Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Or playing **Every Breath You Take** at your wedding. Or **Wonderful Tonight** ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/40 "2013-01-18T13:56:01Z")
Body piercing and tattoos-reaction against “beautiful people”? I have always been puzzled by the embrace of such extreme body modifications-like multiple piercings-many of the people who have these look grotesque. Is it a reaction against the “supermodel” type people that are all to common in popular culture? My theory is: if you cannot be “beautiful”, then you can be very ugly-but what’s the point? I find these walking hardware stores quite repulsive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417.md?page=3)