# Humorous Allusions to Actors' Previous Roles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191 "2020-12-16T16:54:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/141 "2021-01-18T00:01:41Z")
In _Disenchantment_, King Zøg yells “Bite my shiny metal axe!” as he runs into battle, pretty obviously referencing Bender’s catch phrase from _Futurama_. Both characters are voiced by John DiMaggio. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/142 "2021-01-18T01:53:10Z")
Another one, from the same _Sopranos_ episode: Dr. Melfi’s (played by Lorraine Bracco) ex-husband tells her that people’s opinions of Italian-Americans are based on _Goodfellas_. Bracco played Henry Hill’s wife Karen in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/143 "2021-01-18T02:08:07Z")
In an episode of Murdoch Mysteries (The Death of Dr. Ogden) the janitor, played by Rainbow Sun Francks, is a sort of Will Hunting character for a Mensa-like group, who solves difficult puzzles, tells Constable Crabtree “no one gets paid to solve puzzles” – kind of a dig at the theme of the series and the detective work Murdoch does, but Francks was also a regular as the computer nerd in the series The Listener, which involved a lot of police detective work. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/144 "2021-01-22T16:05:47Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Somewhat relatedly, there is a scene in an episode of The Sopranos where Tony asks Christopher why he’s late. Christopher replies “highway was jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive” while he’s standing right next to Silvio, portrayed by Steven Van Zandt. A friend of mine had a university professor who would offhandedly use that phrase when he was late to class. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but…” ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/145 "2021-01-26T11:40:35Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > “It’s real, and it’s spectacular.” If that wasn’t scripted, then it’s brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/146 "2021-01-26T11:46:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The idea was also used in the _Eerie, Indiana_ episode “Reality Takes a Holiday,” where Marshall ends up in a parallel world where he is transported onto the set of _Eerie, Indiana_ . Everyone refers to each other as their real names, There’s a two-part _Hercules_ episode like that, where the actor who plays Hercules is missing, and the action takes place among the writers and producers of the show-- but they are all played by regular actors from either _Hercules_ or _Xena_. It’s very funny. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/147 "2021-01-27T04:01:53Z")
In John Waters’ _Female Trouble_, Edith Massey plays Ida, the aunt of Divine’s character’s husband and her antagonist. At one point in the film, she is kidnapped and put in a human-sized bird cage. She complains to Divine’s daughter Taffy, played by Mink Stole, that she is starving. “We don’t have any food here. Mother doesn’t buy food for me. You want an egg? There might be an old egg in there.” Ida then yells “No, I don’t want no goddamn eggs! I want meat and potatoes.” Edith Massey, of course, was notorious for having played Edy the Egg Lady in Waters’ previous film _Pink Flamingos_ who was obsessed with eggs. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/148 "2021-01-27T08:07:42Z")
That would be actor **Kevin Sorbo.** After **Hercules: The Legendary Journeys** he did SciFi show **Andromeda** (influenced by **Star Trek** ) and in one episode he opens a secret panel… Inside it he finds a Hercules style broadsword and a lock of long hair - In Hercules **Sorbo** had much longer hair than he had in **Andromeda**. Holding the items briefly Sorbo quips “It’s a long story…” Here is the scene: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/h9myMUWeHP4/hqdefault.jpg "Andromeda Hercules reference") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9myMUWeHP4) TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/149 "2021-01-27T15:55:39Z")
I’ve seen Dick Van Dyke refer to his famous trip over the ottoman from the old Dick Van Dyke show twice. In Diagnosis Murder, he tells his on screen and off screen son that he nearly tripped over an ottoman when at a crime scene. In The Middle, Jerry Van Dyke tells the Hecks that they should move an ottoman because Dick’s character would probably trip over it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/150 "2021-01-28T05:56:17Z")
Another from Arrested Development (which has recently been my quarantine binge)… Scott Baio is introduced as “Bob Loblaw”, the lawyer replacing “Barry Zuckercorn”, played by Henry Winkler. He says it “isn’t the first time he’d been brought in to replace Barry” and that he could “do anything Barry could do but skew younger”. As someone who watched far too much Happy Days in my childhood, I giggled. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/151 "2021-01-28T12:52:43Z")
In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon and Amy put lists of possible Halloween couples costumes on a white board. One entry on Amy’s side was Blossom and Joey. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/152 "2021-01-28T12:58:15Z")
On Everybody Loves Raymond, in a Halloween episode Peter Boyle wore a Frankenstein costume. He had famously played the monster in Young Frankenstein. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/153 "2021-01-28T16:13:26Z")
And in a Halloween episode of “Freaks and Geeks,” Joe Flaherty wore a vampire costume - an nod to his performance as Count Floyd on “SCTV.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/154 "2021-01-28T18:22:33Z")
Last night on _The Goldbergs_ Adam and his Gramps were watching the movie _Cocoon_. Adam’s chemistry teacher whipped up a bunch of placebo so Adam could give Gramps an extra shot of youthfulness. The chemistry teacher was Steve Gutenberg, who was in Cocoon. The closing credits gave a shoutout to Gutenberg in both roles. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/155 "2021-01-28T19:01:18Z")
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data is learning how to be funny with hologram Joe Piccopo. They are doing Jerry Lewis-esque bits onstage together but there’s one point where Data sounds just like Bob Wheeler from Night Court. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/156 "2021-01-28T19:01:19Z")
The movie _Clue_ has one that I’m not sure was intentional, but… When the motorist (who turns out to be Colonel Mustard’s driver during the war) comes to the door during the night while it’s raining, and the door is opened by Wadsworth (played by Tim Curry), it plays like a nod to _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_. The motorist even says “Sorry to interrupt your party, but my car broke down a couple of miles up the road – could I use your telephone?” ---
**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:** [January 31, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/157 "2021-01-31T18:59:22Z")
George Raft of course became a star playing tough gangsters in the 1930s. In _ **Johnny Allegro** _ (1949), he’s a florist/decorated war hero/escaped convict who’s recruited by the US government for an undercover mission.\* When he meets the man behind a big counterfeiting scheme, following exchange takes place: [Morgan Vallin](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534317/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): And how did that minute mind of yours conclude that anyone could be of service to me with his pictures in all the papers, with a number across the front of them? [Johnny Allegro](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0706368/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): They took those a long time ago. I’ve changed a lot since then. [Morgan Vallin](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534317/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): But your type never changes. Just looking at you makes one think of alley fighting, tommy guns. [Johnny Allegro](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0706368/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Is that bad? \*And if you can believe all this, I have swampland in Florida you might be interested in. ---
**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 31, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/158 "2021-01-31T20:00:09Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Sean Bean has done this at least a couple of times\*, memorably in the _Fellowship of the Ring_ . There, he clumsily handles the broken sword Narsil while being watched by Aragorn. He cuts his finger on it, remarking “Still Sharp!” This line refers to his earlier role “Sharpe,” the British rifleman in the Napoleonic wars. [And he referenced his _Lord of the Rings_ role in turn in _The Martian_.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YmDT2BgI-0) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/159 "2021-01-31T20:27:18Z")
Early in **Crazy Heart** , Jeff Bridges’ country-singer character plays a gig at a bowling alley. When he sits down at the bar afterwards, the shot looks almost identical to Bridges’ final scene as “The Dude” in **The Big Lebowski**. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191/160 "2021-01-31T23:13:19Z")
I don’t know if it fits this thread exactly or not since it is an overt reference to a previous role, but William Shatner, plays himself and makes references to his role as T.J. Hooker in the movie _ **Showtime** _ with Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro, which ends with him jumping onto and bouncing of off the hood of a car. ``` //i\\ ``` [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humorous-allusions-to-actors-previous-roles/928191.md?page=9)