# Films with surreal narrators **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843 "2005-02-01T20:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrewdt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@andrewdt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/1 "2005-02-01T20:12:27Z")
For those who have seen Do the Right Thing, you may remember the three old black men who sit at the corner and proclaim ‘what a waste’- they are meant to be, in many opinions, like the three narrators in a Greek tragedy of some sort. My question has nothing to do with this movie: have there been any movies anyone can think of where the narrators exist in their own universe outside the story but pop up to talk about the story throughout the movie? The only two that come to mind are the Chris Rock comedy Head of State in which the singer guy appears to sing something like ‘he’s the head of state…’ but he barely talked about the story, and of course Something about Mary’s unforgettable musicians- probably the most unforgettable narrators of their type in any film. Care to list any others? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/2 "2005-02-01T20:22:49Z")
The Chordettes in _Little Shop of Horrors_. The bath house singers in _Zero Patience_. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/3 "2005-02-01T20:31:25Z")
Woody Allen’s _Mighty Aphrodite_ has a literal Greek chorus commenting on the action. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/4 "2005-02-01T20:40:52Z")
Not sure if I get quite what your talking about, but the cowboy in **The Big Lebowski** doesn’t play any role in the story, and only interacts with the other characters briefly once. ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/5 "2005-02-01T20:53:08Z")
Not a movie, but the Sondheim musical “Into the Woods” has a narrator who appears onstage, sings a bit, and eventually gets killed. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/6 "2005-02-01T21:03:58Z")
Nuts. Too late to contribute “Into the Woods”. Would the narrator for Rock and Bullwinkle (the series, not the movie) count? He gets tied and gagged by Boris at one point so that he can’t warn the squirrel. When they finally rip the tape off of his mouth, his mustache comes with it. He talks with a limp for the rest of the episode. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/7 "2005-02-01T21:06:12Z")
Well, there’s the mice in _Babe_. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/8 "2005-02-01T21:07:59Z")
The angels in _It’s A Wonderful Life_. The Grandfather (Falk) and grandson (Savage) in _The Princess Bride_. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/9 "2005-02-01T21:33:10Z")
_The Beast of Yucca Flats_ Flag on the moon…how’d it get there? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/10 "2005-02-01T22:06:42Z")
There were two banjo-playin’ singers (Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole) wandering through _Cat Ballou_, offering lyrical exposition. ---
**Author:** ![Daylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Daylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/11 "2005-02-01T22:28:50Z")
The wizard in Conan the Barbarian? \ Merle Haggard in the Dukes of Hazzard? \<“Bout this time the Duke boys were wonderin’ if they could fly…maybe grow some wings…”\> All I can think of off the top of my head… D. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/12 "2005-02-01T22:39:15Z")
Chorus in _Henry V_ The name comes from the already mentioned Greek Chorus. [http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/theatre/actors.html](http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/theatre/actors.html) (scroll down a bit) So, as you can see, it is a very old idea. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/13 "2005-02-01T22:45:40Z")
The three mice in _Babe_. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/14 "2005-02-01T22:49:00Z")
What about the band in the world’s funniest movie: “There’s Something About Mary.” (well, other than the very last scene where there was some interaction). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/15 "2005-02-01T23:01:38Z")
> [@Daylon](#): > > Merle Haggard in the Dukes of Hazzard? \<“Bout this time the Duke boys were wonderin’ if they could fly…maybe grow some wings…”\> That was Waylon Jennings. ---
**Author:** ![Daylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Daylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/16 "2005-02-01T23:06:52Z")
My bad. > [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > That was Waylon Jennings. ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@andrewdt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/17 "2005-02-01T23:17:10Z")
I also didn’t mention ‘Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Ryhme’ a 1990 tv movie w/ little richard and zz top and shelly duvall that I think had a chorus that sang ‘hop to it, don’t be late, hop to it, gotta make it today’, maybe just at the beginning. And the three zz top guys in the tub didn’t talk, so they weren’t narrators. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/18 "2005-02-01T23:22:32Z")
MOved to Cafe Society, where we discuss movies, the Arts, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/19 "2005-02-01T23:33:35Z")
**Rocky Horror** , anyone? “I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey…” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843/20 "2005-02-02T00:18:17Z")
> [@JerH](#): > > Not a movie, but the Sondheim musical “Into the Woods” has a narrator who appears onstage, sings a bit, and eventually gets killed. Although a stage production was put on TV in '91 and has since been released on both VHS & DVD. I should find a copy of that! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-with-surreal-narrators/287843.md?page=2)