# "How did anyone think that was a good idea?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 13, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380 "2020-03-13T02:12:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/61 "2020-03-14T22:41:14Z")
Since someone brought up the \*Doctor Dolittle \* movie from 1998 with Eddie Murphy I have to mention that _The Cat in the Hat_ movie from 2003 starring Mike Myers is probably the worst movie i have ever seen. Crude and vulgar, just about everything Dr. Seuss’s books are not. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/62 "2020-03-14T22:49:14Z")
yeah the cat in the hat movie killed off what goodwill Carrey’s grinch had left that DR.S’s widow refused to let any of the planned live-action movies continue (universal was going to make a franchise out of them)… in fact, it even helped kill off the cat in the hat PBS kids show … ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/63 "2020-03-14T23:17:28Z")
The one I think of is [Seventh Son](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1121096/). Who in the _hell_ thought that putting Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore together in a non-comedy movie after **The Big Lebowski** was a great idea?! That was pretty much an open invitation to MST3K the shit out of it until you lost interest. Seriously, the movie was shit, and I really hope someone got fired because of it. :smack: Oh, and not to derail the thread, but I kind of liked **Cat in the Hat**. The problem wasn’t the movie itself; it was the marketing. It definitely wasn’t for kids, but I think of it like an offbeat comedy like **Bubble Boy** or **Death to Smoochy** , both of which I loved, and at the time, I was a big fan of pretty much the entire cast. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/64 "2020-03-16T13:40:41Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I doubt 44 episodes would be concidered a “flop.” (And I wouldn’t concider GAH “bad” so much as “good.”) I loved the show growing up. Same with Hogan’s Heroes. There may be an issue looking at some of these shows as to who the target audience was. Younger viewers may find these shows more entertaining than older viewers as they don’t get caught up in the flaws. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/65 "2020-03-16T13:52:42Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Since someone brought up the \*Doctor Dolittle \* movie from 1998 with Eddie Murphy I have to mention that _The Cat in the Hat_ movie from 2003 starring Mike Myers is probably the worst movie i have ever seen. Crude and vulgar, just about everything Dr. Seuss’s books are not. I purged that movie from my memory. Quite literally. I was watching it on TV one day, and had an overwhelming feeling of deja vu. I couldn’t tell you what would happen next, but every scene I knew I had seen before. I finally realized I had seen it in the theaters, but I couldn’t tell you how a scene would turn out if you put a gun to my head. Some time later, I was watching TV and stumbled across the move, and started watching it. I had an overwhelming feeling of deja vu. I couldn’t tell you what would happen next, but every scene I knew I had seen before. I finally realized I had seen it on TV, and remembered the previous experience. I **still** couldn’t tell you what was going to happen next despite having seen it twice. Now, as a fan of bad movies, I have seen a lot of bad movies. **Really** bad movies. But nothing like this has ever happened before. _The Cat in the Hat_. The one time my brain took a stand and just said “no.” ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/66 "2020-03-16T19:37:09Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > [My Mother The Car.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058830/) Probably the most inconceivable, absurd, POS to ever sail across the public airwaves I’d say “It’s About Time” sucked about as hard as MMTC. One reason to appreciate MMTC is that, without it, there would have been no SCTV parody of it (Tibor’s Tractor) on the Soviet takeover episode of Network 90, Season 2. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/67 "2020-03-16T21:22:14Z")
surprised nobody mentioned You’re in the picture show with Jackie Gleason. Lasted 1 week in 1961. Details here [You're in the Picture - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_in_the_Picture) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/68 "2020-03-16T21:49:51Z")
> [@txtumbleweed](#): > > [Coupling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_(British_TV_series)) was a comedy written by Steven Moffat that ran for 4 series and 28 episodes in Britain. There are several entertaining and innovative episodes. > > NBC thought it would be great to Americanize the show, shorten the scripts and censor the jokes. [Coupling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_(American_TV_series)) lasted barely a month. Ironically, Coupling is basically a UK version of Friends. They copied the formula, and Brisishized it. So making an American copy of a British copy of an American show was bound to fail. You’re Xeroxing a Xerox. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/69 "2020-03-16T22:01:44Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Ironically, Coupling is basically a UK version of Friends. They copied the formula, and Brisishized it. > > So making an American copy of a British copy of an American show was bound to fail. You’re Xeroxing a Xerox. Yes, and soon the Super Karate Monkey Death Car parked in their space. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/70 "2020-03-17T00:09:21Z")
> [@TimfromNapa](#): > > I’d say “It’s About Time” sucked about as hard as MMTC. One reason to appreciate MMTC is that, without it, there would have been no SCTV parody of it (Tibor’s Tractor) on the Soviet takeover episode of Network 90, Season 2. Uzbeks ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/71 "2020-03-17T01:07:16Z")
Hey, Greatest American Hero had a good theme song and Connie Sellecca. I’ve watched some episodes lately and while not exactly quality, are tolerable. Brian And I think the premise is fine ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/72 "2020-03-17T04:53:19Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I haven’t actually seen an episode of _My Mother the Car_, but just as counterpoint was the premise really that much more absurd than say _Mr. Ed_, or _Bewitched_? At least _Mr. Ed_ was an animate creature that theoretically could have a mind. The true creepiness of _My Mother the Car_ was _sitting inside your mother_ and tweaking bits of her anatomy to make her drive around.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/73 "2020-03-17T10:11:23Z")
> [@TimfromNapa](#): > > I’d say “It’s About Time” sucked about as hard as MMTC. … I enjoyed It’s About Time. When I was 6. And wasn’t allowed to watch TV. I can still sing the theme (“It’s about time. It’s about space. It’s about two men in the strangest place.” (Those lyrics sites that give the wrong lyrics lie). ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/74 "2020-03-17T10:15:57Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > _Doctor Dolittle_, the 1998 movie starring Eddie Murphy as Dr. Dolittle. > > All I really remember from the movie is that it was a compendium of toilet humor and butt jokes. The [Wikipedia article for the movie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Dolittle_(1998_film)) says it was “received warmly by audiences who praised its humor and thematic profundity. It has become a cult classic in recent years due to Murphy’s performance, despite receiving mixed reviews from film critics upon release.” Sorry, I don’t see that. Wikipedia is a compendium of toilet humor and butt jokes, received warmly by audiences who praise its humor and thematic profundity. Also, that particular article has been modified over the years… ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/75 "2020-03-17T12:09:26Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > God help me, I can remember every word of the theme song. I’ve got an even more embarrassing memory: watching the series premier in 1965 (the first scene, where he’s looking around a used car lot and hears his mother’s voice calling out to him). I was six years old, so it didn’t seem (quite) as stupid as it does now. As for the theme song, this is without googling/youtubing: _A nineteen twenty eight Porter That’s my mother dear She helps me through everything I do And I’m so glad she’s here_ Ah, the wasted brain cells. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/76 "2020-03-17T12:26:04Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > surprised nobody mentioned You’re in the picture show with Jackie Gleason. Lasted 1 week in 1961. Reading what the game show was originally supposed to be about I can see why people thought it would be a good idea. _You’re in the Picture_ sounds much more interesting to me than _Name That Tune,_ but the ladder lasted for a number of years as a show. The premise was fine it was apparently the execution that was lacking. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/77 "2020-03-17T15:22:00Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Most SNL movies, simply because most SNL skits can’t be spun out into a full film and still remain amusing, and that should be obvious. For every _Blues Brothers_ there’s an _It’s Pat_, for every _Coneheads_ there’s a _Night at the Roxbury_, for every _Wayne’s World_ there’s a _The Ladies Man_ or _Stuart Saves His Family_. And _Blues Brothers 2000_ was sad for reasons unrelated to it being an SNL movie. I beg to differ. The Coneheads movie was one of the most disappointing pieces of crap ever made. Certain concepts need a studio audience. It would have been like making an All in the Family movie. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/78 "2020-03-17T15:53:30Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Most SNL movies, simply because most SNL skits can’t be spun out into a full film and still remain amusing, and that should be obvious. For every _Blues Brothers_ there’s an _It’s Pat_, for every _Coneheads_ there’s a _Night at the Roxbury_, for every _Wayne’s World_ there’s a _The Ladies Man_ or _Stuart Saves His Family_. And _Blues Brothers 2000_ was sad for reasons unrelated to it being an SNL movie. I beg to differ. The Coneheads movie was one of the most disappointing pieces of crap ever made. Certain concepts need a studio audience. It would have been like making an All in the Family movie. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/79 "2020-03-17T16:07:21Z")
_[Turn-On](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn-On)_. While one can understand the reasoning behind coming up with a clone of _Laugh-In_, but it was clearly rushed and filled with unfunny sexual jokes. It was cancelled literally before the first episode finished, and stations just shut it off half way, with west coast stations not running it at all. > [@Just Asking Questions](#): > > Ironically, Coupling is basically a UK version of Friends. They copied the formula, and Brisishized it. “This is not an American sitcom!” But the show was nothing like _Friends_, except superficially. It was almost entirely about sexual relationships and wasn’t coy about it, and, of course, was far funnier. In addition, it innovated the sitcom form with shows that, for instance, showed two parallel stories at once on a split screen (“Split”) or played with time (“The Girl with Two Breasts,” which showed a conversation from one character’s point of view, then rewound back to one with the other character’s.) But the point of the show in the UK was to be open about sex. It candidly discussed porn, masturbation, voyeurism, erectile dysfunction (“The Melty Man Cometh”), threesomes, and much else. There was no way network censors was going to allow it in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/80 "2020-03-17T19:02:44Z")
_Monkeybone_ (2001) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/R8WDX7p9FoE/hqdefault.jpg "Monkeybone Trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8WDX7p9FoE) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380.md?page=5)