# I don't understand why Bobcat Goldthwait ever had a film career **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061 "2013-09-17T16:02:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/21 "2013-09-17T18:48:24Z")
**Anaamika** , Goldthwait just has a bit cameo in _World’s Greatest Dad_; he wrote and directed it tho. To really see him shine, check out the aforementioned _Shakes the Clown_; it totally fucking rocks and it really established that he was not just a goofball but a true auteur. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/22 "2013-09-17T18:57:54Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > And I will try that scene from Blow that was linked to in youtube. The very brief interview/promo spot from CNN I linked to above has him talking in a normal tone ( and yes, he’s a wee bit unkind to the memory of Sam Kinison - guess they weren’t ever on the greatest of terms, besides being mistaken for each other 😉 ) and how he has largely abandoned his “screechy Bob” persona now as he approaches 50. If you want to hear him without the hair-raising voice affectation. Just as a by the by I remember when he was a young up and comer I heard him a lot on the radio ( he was a favorite of local radio personality [Alex Bennett](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Bennett_%28broadcaster%29), who had good taste in comedians ) and the discussion always came around to whether his voice was a deliberate put on or just naturally that way. He was quite cagey about it back then, heavily implying that was just how he talked, maybe slightly exaggerated. But yep - just an affectation, though one he was very dedicated to for many years. Not surprisingly he apparently was an Andy Kaufman fan. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/23 "2013-09-17T19:02:07Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I don’t know what Wait, Wait, don’t tell me is - a talk show? A contest? A game show? Yes! ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/24 "2013-09-17T19:06:34Z")
I was never that fond of Bobcat’s film career when he was still mostly just screaming. Mostly, I wasn’t into those kinds of broad comedies, and his shtick was not to my taste. Other posters have covered why he did them ($$$), and that’s pretty much why I figured those movies were being made. Twelve-year-olds and Drunk and stoned people in the '80’s were not very discriminating. I do recall finding a couple of his comedy bits that they’d play on the Comedy Channel to be just shy of brilliant and well beyond the sort of crap he’d do in the movies. Even as a stand up, though, there was a lot that was just silly screaming (instead of the clever screaming he could sometimes do). But, having seen those few bits where the burbling-to-boiling mania was worked into a really clever joke, I found that it grated on me a lot less than when I only knew his shtick from the Police Academy movies’ promos. His later stuff is pretty good. I saw a fairly recent bit of stand up, _You Don’t Look the Same Either_ that I thought was great. I’ve seen funnier comedians, but he’s a good storyteller and made me laugh quite a bit. And he only did the scream ironically. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/25 "2013-09-17T19:09:38Z")
The man is a genius and should have been in a lot more movies in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/26 "2013-09-17T19:39:46Z")
You don’t really know that you’ll never sell out until they’re ready to hand you a check with seven figures on it. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/27 "2013-09-17T19:51:26Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I don’t know what Wait, Wait, don’t tell me is - a talk show? A contest? A game show? It’s a comedy news quiz panel show that airs every week on NPR. They have three panelists answering questions, call-in contestants, and a celebrity guest every week. It’s a lot of fun. You should give it a try. I think podcasts of the most recent shows are available online. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/28 "2013-09-17T20:12:35Z")
I first saw him in Police Academy 2. I had no idea who he was and he stole that movie, as far as I was concerned. Now, keep in mind that (a) I was 14 at the time; and (b) a block of wood could have stolen that movie from Steve Guttenberg. Still, the screechy voice was novel to me at the time and it played nicely against what you would expect from the character (he was supposed to be a gang leader). ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/29 "2013-09-17T20:16:14Z")
You don’t like something so no one else should like it either. Good to know Fritz. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/30 "2013-09-17T20:18:31Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Try [this scene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfyAvHc6j6M) from “Blow”, with Paul Reubens and Johnny Depp (audio NSFW). Great acting from all three of them. OMG, I’ve seen that movie several times and never realized that was Bobcat. :smack: (I recognized Paul Reubens right away. I loved his vampire in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/31 "2013-09-17T20:19:57Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > You don’t like something so no one else should like it either. Good to know Fritz. Oh, I should totally be Queen of the World. Trust me, you’d end up liking it. And it’s “Your Majesty”, not “Fritz”. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/32 "2013-09-17T21:15:50Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I mean, you can only use him with that voice in certain kinds of movies… Oh, I think the possibilities are endless: “The list … is _life_!” “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” “They call me Mister Tibbs!” ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/33 "2013-09-17T21:23:03Z")
Bobcat freely admits that his earlier stuff was entirely schtick used initially to get his foot in the door and kept up because it’s what kept him in show business. The directorial stuff and other things he’s done recently is schtick-free and a more accurate portrayal of who he is. A lot of schticky stand up comedians get a bad rap based on this. I listen to the Adam Carolla podcast and he’s interviewed guys like Bobcat, Andrew Dice Clay, and Yakov Smirnoff and it’s really interesting to see what else there is beside the man. Dice sounds mostly like who his persona is though. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/34 "2013-09-17T22:14:50Z")
Jim Carrey can act a little bit. He seems to still enjoy making physical comedies, but he has dabbled in a couple serious roles (like _The Truman Show_). Eddie Murphy went from standup to action hero (and from there over to family friendly goofball movies, like _The Nutty Professor_). ---
**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:** [September 17, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/35 "2013-09-17T22:55:40Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > To really see him shine, check out the aforementioned _Shakes the Clown_; it totally fucking rocks and it really established that he was not just a goofball but a true auteur. Wait a second. I happen to like Bobcat on _Wait Wait_. But Godard is an auteur. Kurasowa is an auteur. Bergman and Fellini are auteurs. Let’s not go overboard. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/36 "2013-09-17T23:27:07Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > But Godard is an auteur. Kurasowa is an auteur. Bergman and Fellini are auteurs. Let’s not go overboard. Dude - **Shakes the Clown** has been referred to in print as the ‘Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies.’ I can think of no higher accolade :p. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/37 "2013-09-17T23:31:51Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > But Godard is an auteur. Kurasowa is an auteur. Bergman and Fellini are auteurs. Let’s not go overboard. You realize the term ‘auteur’ does not refer to quality, right? A director can be an auteur and still suck. Not that Bobcat sucks as a director. Haven’t seen the films so I don’t know. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/38 "2013-09-18T00:58:26Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > You realize the term ‘auteur’ does not refer to quality, right? A director can be an auteur and still suck. Once someone hangs a snooty French word on it, the stakes are raised. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/39 "2013-09-18T01:24:43Z")
Have you ever even seen a vagina? He’s very funny. I like him a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061/40 "2013-09-18T03:19:14Z")
My favorite Goldthwait joke I first heard in his 1987 concert film _An Evening with Bobcat Goldthwait: Share the Warmth_. “I lost my job. Well, I didn’t really lose my job. I know where my job is. It’s just that, when I go there, there’s this new guy doing it.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-bobcat-goldthwait-ever-had-a-film-career/669061.md?page=3)