# Dabney Coleman movie scene? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2017, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dabney-coleman-movie-scene/796612 "2017-09-18T04:16:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sms339](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@sms339](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sms339)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dabney-coleman-movie-scene/796612/1 "2017-09-18T04:16:53Z")
Hi all, When I was a young child in the 1980s, I recall seeing a distinct movie scene on television. In it, Dabney Coleman (or his doppelganger) is playing an office-type, and he is warned by a co-worker that “The boss is coming” – or something to that effect. The Coleman character instantly freaks out (and maybe says “Oh sh\*t!”), then jams a pencil straight between his eyes, presumably to harm/kill himself and get out of this meeting with the boss. Does anyone know what movie this is from? It’s been bugging me for decades! Thx.! ---
**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:** [September 18, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dabney-coleman-movie-scene/796612/2 "2017-09-18T04:44:59Z")
9 to 5? Dabney Coleman IS the boss, rather than a sub-worker being alarmed at the boss’s arrival, but there’s a memorable scene with him and a pencil - specifically, he intentionally dropped a pencil in order to get his secretary (played by Dolly Parton) to bend over to pick it up. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dabney-coleman-movie-scene/796612/3 "2017-09-18T04:47:27Z")
If it’s not Dabney Coleman, try John C McGinley or Kevin Kline. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dabney-coleman-movie-scene/796612/4 "2017-09-18T05:09:14Z")
“So, Peter… it looks like you’ve been missing some work lately…” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dabney-coleman-movie-scene/796612/5 "2017-09-18T07:05:10Z")
[Tangent] I love Dabney Coleman. I’ve often said that he would have made an excellent J. Jonah Jameson. [/Tangent] ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dabney-coleman-movie-scene/796612/6 "2017-09-18T10:11:07Z")
He was in a sitcom called _ **Buffalo Bill** _, 1983–84. The only time I watched it, he called a woman a “porker” over the phone. > **[Buffalo Bill (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill_(TV_series))** > > Buffalo Bill is an American sitcom television series that featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host, played by Dabney Coleman, and his staff (including Geena Davis and Joanna Cassidy) at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It premiered June 1, 1983, on NBC and ran for two seasons (1983–84). It was also shown on the then-new UK fourth TV channel Channel 4. > Most of the humor came from Bill's completely unredeemable qualities and from the staff's frustration at deali...