# Bad Hat Harry **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2007, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988 "2007-06-22T12:41:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/1 "2007-06-22T12:41:51Z")
For no better reason than that nothing better was available to watch last night, I resaw _Jaws_ for the third or fourth time after a gap of several years. Early on, when the shark is making its presence known and Roy Scheider is conflicted about whether to close the beaches or to allow the mayor and the town council to have their way because of summertime economics, Roy is nervously watching the water from a beach chair when this weird looking old guy in a swimming cap with one ear sticking out comes up and starts small talking with Roy. Out of frustration mostly but also because the hat is godawful and the old guy is such an annoyance, Roy says, “That’s some bad hat, Harry.” As though I had been drugged before that moment or about to drop off to sleep I bolted upright and hollered for my wife to come see the scene. I backed it up to the start so she could see the old boy come up out of the water, maybe a minute or two from the line itself, and let her get the full impact of it. Once she heard it she was as shocked as I had been. We both knew that line has great significance. Do you know what our surprise came from? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/2 "2007-06-22T12:45:31Z")
Bad Hat Harry is a TV production company. “That’s some Bad Hat Harry” is what the guy says to the other guy, who reminds me of Jimbo from The Simpsons. I’ve never seen _Jaws_ and I’ve always wondered about that. Ignorance fought today. ---
**Author:** ![DustyButt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DustyButt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DustyButt)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/3 "2007-06-22T12:53:08Z")
When I read the thread title all I could think of was the scene from CaddyShack… \*\*Al Czervik: \*\* Oh! This is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What??? When you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup! [looks at Judge Smails, who’s wearing the same hat] Oh. It looks good on you though. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/4 "2007-06-22T13:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Bad Hat Harry is a TV production company. [/QUOTE] So that’s why you hear the line after episodes of some TV shows? I’ve been wondering slightly about that. Do you know who says the line? I’ve always thought it sounds a bit like Steve Buscemi. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/5 "2007-06-22T13:03:30Z")
That line is also repeated at the end of each episode of House, due to the production company thing that **Annie-Xmas** mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/6 "2007-06-22T13:13:40Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Bad Hat Harry is a TV production company. “That’s some Bad Hat Harry” is what the guy says to the other guy, who reminds me of Jimbo from The Simpsons. I’ve never seen _Jaws_ and I’ve always wondered about that. Ignorance fought today. [/QUOTE] That’s it! The company (Bryan Singer’s) has produced _The Usual Suspects_ and nowadays the TV series _House, M.D._ where the little logo (what do you call those things at the end where the production company is identified? Title card?) has a cartoon of the very scene. The _House_ one is immediately followed by one where a boot stomps out something. Can anybody identify that one? I almost tried to start the thread with the generic issue of _What’s behind the various studio names and logos?_ but couldn’t dream up a catchy title, so I hoped this one would attract the type of people who would care enough to look into the issue with me. Another one I think I have read/heard about its origin: Tarantino’s _A Band Apart_ company/whatever. Can you think of others that bug you whenever they show up? There’s one where a cartoon kid (rather primitive artwork) points toward a tree in the distance and says, “What’s that mean?” It can also be a fun thing to try to relate the weird logo and the production company with shows or movies they have done. Maybe we can all learn something new today! 😃 For more on the title concept, see this [TV IV article.](http://tviv.org/Bad_Hat_Harry_Productions) I see in preview that some of this has already been said. Okay, I’m repeating some things. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/7 "2007-06-22T13:17:05Z")
Sit, Ubu, sit. Arf. Good boy. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/8 "2007-06-22T13:24:21Z")
MTM has my two favorites. Bob Newhart saying “Meow.” The kitty with the dearstalker and the pipe that falls from its mouth when it meows. ---
**Author:** ![Ferd\_Burfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Ferd\_Burfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferd_Burfel)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/9 "2007-06-22T13:30:15Z")
They’re called [vanity cards](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6746832/) . The best ones are from [Chuck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Lorre)[Lorre](http://www.chucklorre.com/) because they included paragraphs of text and were only on screen for 2 seconds. Chuck Lorre Productions is the fine company that brought us **Dharma & Greg**. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/10 "2007-06-22T13:36:43Z")
_Boston Legal_ has the one with the old woman with a hockey stick watching TV and getting knocked over. I suspect it’s tied to David E. Kelley, but haven’t tried to Google for it yet. I’ve often wondered about where that ramp is located that is used for _Brad Grey_ at the end of _The Sopranos_. Some of the ones used at the start of movies are really cryptic and involved. Studios that leap to mind with weird logos/title cards are: Imagine Castle Rock Miramax There’s one where a kid runs toward a lake on a pier and jumps toward the water and then it freezes with some company name. Another one has a guy walking away from us down a road and it has a Magritte feel to it. Does anybody know of a website that catalogs these things or at least discusses their origins/meanings? I have to wonder how these ideas come about, who starts the ball rolling, why they have to go through so many changes before settling on the final image, and all that sort of thing. I do know they’re catchy, for the most part. I think the Dreamworks thing is as clever and evocative as any. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/11 "2007-06-22T13:39:47Z")
[QUOTE=DustyButt] When I read the thread title all I could think of was the scene from CaddyShack… \*\*Al Czervik: \*\* Oh! This is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What??? When you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup! [looks at Judge Smails, who’s wearing the same hat] Oh. It looks good on you though. [/QUOTE] Not to go too deeply into the hijack, but what really cracks me up is the face he makes after - but he doesn’t fully turn away from Smails when he makes it! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/12 "2007-06-22T13:40:53Z")
Everybody Loves Raymond’s production company has a silverwear setup with the company’s name in the middle. Then someone puts a plate of food on top. The company’s name is “What’s for Lunch?” It took me two seconds to realize that was the most entertaining part of the show, and two weeks to realize the plate always held a different meal. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/13 "2007-06-22T13:43:11Z")
Good night Mr. Walters! Mmmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/14 "2007-06-22T13:48:06Z")
[QUOTE=Ferd Burfel] They’re called [vanity cards](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6746832/) . The best ones are from [Chuck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Lorre)[Lorre](http://www.chucklorre.com/) because they included paragraphs of text and were only on screen for 2 seconds. Chuck Lorre Productions is the fine company that brought us **Dharma & Greg**. [/QUOTE] Fantastic links! Thank you, **Ferd Burfel** , for the alternative name for these things. That should help make Googling for them easier. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/15 "2007-06-22T13:50:26Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] Not to go too deeply into the hijack, but what really cracks me up is the face he makes after - but he doesn’t fully turn away from Smails when he makes it! [/QUOTE] If any thread deserves some great hijacks, this is one of them. Hijack away! Already there have been shows mentioned that I never saw, but now feel I must just to see their vanity cards! ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/16 "2007-06-22T13:59:37Z")
Grr, argh! (Mutant Enemy, Buffy and Angel) ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/17 "2007-06-22T14:08:37Z")
I want to see a fight between the Mutant Enenmy and the Bad Robot. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/18 "2007-06-22T14:11:22Z")
Here’s a link to a tangential issue: [Advertising Mascots - Animals](http://www.tvacres.com/advertising_mascots_animals.htm) including the Aflac Duck and The Geico Gecko and many others. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/19 "2007-06-22T14:21:04Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker] Grr, argh! (Mutant Enemy, Buffy and Angel) [/QUOTE] And Firefly, for that matter. That’s the one I was thinking of, but couldn’t remember the name. Also, is it just me, or is the Bad Robot clip particularly unsettling after an intense episode of Lost? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988/20 "2007-06-22T14:30:29Z")
Actually, I was thinking of starting a thread yesterday about individual’s production company names and their origins and I had some going through my head: “Oprah Winfrey. Harpo. Her name spelled backwards. Brian Singer. Bad Hat Harry. A line from _Jaws_. Adam Sandler. Happy Madison. Two of his films, _Happy Gilmore_ and _Billy Madison_…” As you can see, I was thinking of Bad Hat Harry Productions as well- but I was beaten to the punch. I love logos. I used to be a member of the Closing Logo Group online, but left before the regime change. > [@Zeldar](#): > > Boston Legal has the one with the old woman with a hockey stick watching TV and getting knocked over. I suspect it’s tied to David E. Kelley, but haven’t tried to Google for it yet. > > Does anybody know of a website that catalogs these things or at least discusses their origins/meanings? > > I think the Dreamworks thing is as clever and evocative as any. As for websites, the only one I can think of is [this one](http://members.fortunecity.com/teamfx2000/), which is an offshoot of the aforementioned CLG. The old woman you mention is indeed the logo for David E. Kelley productions. The woman is his late grandmother, who utters her favorite saying, “You stinker!” The music for the Dreamworks logo was composed by the great John Williams, who also composed the music for the Universal logo. Mel Brooks wrote lyrics for the Universal theme to be used in front of _The Producers_, but they weren’t used. They were something like: Hello folks, here comes the movie now (yes sir) No more previews, here’s the movie now (that’s right) No more previews here comes the movie now Here’s the movie now… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-hat-harry/408988.md?page=2)