# Inside Jokes on TV Shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498 "2013-02-16T14:30:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [February 18, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/81 "2013-02-18T17:46:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > From 1968 to 1970, CBS had Bob Denver starring with Herb Edelman in a series called _The Good Guys_, in which Edelman’s character owned a diner. Alan Hale guest starred on that show a couple of times too; in at least one episode, a drunk staggering out of the diner looked at Bob and Alan and said “Hey! Didn’t I see you two guys once on an island?” Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure Jim Backus also guest starred, playing a rich stuffed shirt like Thurston Howell III (I remember he wanted the diner to make him Welsh Rarebit for breakfast). ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/82 "2013-02-18T17:59:45Z")
Just came to point out that in Stargate SG-1, O’Neill doesn’t make the MacGyver joke, Sam does, and she ad-libbed it. However, O’Neill spells his name with two ls, while the movie O’Neil is just one. TV O’Neill says there is another Colonel O’Neil but that guy has no sense of humor (referring to Kurt Russell’s completely different take on the character). Never caught the Eureka bit though. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/83 "2013-02-18T18:24:25Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > …Rob dreams that the Earth is invaded by the plart Twilo… _Dreams_?!?!? BTW, _ **what** _ is a “Danny Thomas”? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/84 "2013-02-18T18:35:00Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > _Dreams_?!?!? > > BTW, _ **what** _ is a “Danny Thomas”? [Groucho Marx] You know, I had a _premonition_ you’d show up! Come on in! [/Groucho Marx] ---
**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:** [February 18, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/85 "2013-02-18T18:40:07Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > BTW, _ **what** _ is a “Danny Thomas”? Oh, Lordy, how quickly they forget: https://www.youtube.com/embed/QBKAi6WCY08?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque Little Sherry Jackson, BTW, grew up to be the scrumptious female android Andrea in “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” on _Star Trek_. She was just as hot playing opposite Frank Gorshin as The Riddler on _Batman._ ---
**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:** [February 18, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/86 "2013-02-18T18:45:15Z")
A somewhat later version: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgTU6Pg6mS0) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/87 "2013-02-18T18:55:51Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Oh, Lordy, how quickly they forget: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBKAi6WCY08](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBKAi6WCY08) You been whooshed, son. That’s a line from that episode, spoken (in a British accent, of course) by Kolak of Twilo/Danny Thomas. Go look at whho posted that. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/88 "2013-02-18T18:56:54Z")
Dear, sweet terentii. Your desire to educate is noble, I’ll grant you but I suspect that someone who chose the username Kolak of Twilo is, in reality, familiar with Danny Thomas. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/89 "2013-02-18T18:58:34Z")
On an episode of _30 Rock_ in which Jack Donaghy’s Catholic girlfriend insisted he go to confession, one of the many sins he confessed to was “I said I was God in a deposition”, a reference to a line delivered by Alec Baldwin’s character in the movie _Malice_. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/90 "2013-02-18T18:59:32Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You been whooshed, son. > > That’s a line from that episode, spoken (in a British accent, of course) by Kolak of Twilo/Danny Thomas. > > Go look at who posted that. There. See how quickly we forget? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/91 "2013-02-18T19:04:10Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > There. See how quickly we forget? 😕 [This should help your memory](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQcfzB7iqGU#t=4m07s). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/92 "2013-02-18T19:20:01Z")
Onre connection I was unfamiliar with was that Russ Tamblyn (Rif in _West Side Story_, among many other roles) played God in the series _Joan of Arcadia_. Joan was played by his real-life daughter Amber Tamblyn. Similarly, Alan Alda’s father, Robert, played Dr. Borelli in two episodes of M.S.S.H., In the second of these, Alan Alda’s half-brother Antony also appeared. But I don’t think any jokes or references were made to any relationships. In a similar vein, Kirk Douglas appeared in a very _Paths of Glory_-;like episode of _Tales of the Crypt_ (“Yellow”) with his lesser-known son, Eric Douglas. The episode was directed by Robert Zemeckis and also had Lance Henriksen and Dan Aykroyd in it. Definitely worth seeing. In this case, Eric Douglas actually did play Kirk’s son. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/93 "2013-02-18T20:37:39Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > And _her_ name was Maureen Robinson! And it was _Doctor_ Maureen Robinson, not Mrs Robinson. > [@NitroPress](#): > > One of the things I loved about the film version of _Bewitched_, in early drafts, was the proposal to switch the actor for Darren halfway through, without comment from any of the other cast. I can’t recall who was suggested for the role/s other than Robert Picardo… I heard the same thing, but that Jim Carey was supposed to share the role. Back to the **Roseanne** example; the the episode where Chalk took over the role there’s a scene where the family is watching **Bewitched** and Becky mentioned how she always liked Dick Sargent (Darren #2) better. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/94 "2013-02-18T22:07:42Z")
In _Leverage_, the team was working a costume party. They were upset with Timothy Hutton’s character because he was in casual clothes, not a period costume. He explained that he was Ellery Queen, the world’s greatest detective. His dad, Jim, played the role in the TV series. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/95 "2013-02-18T22:46:22Z")
In The Wizard Of Speed And Time, special effects wizard Mike Jittlov is trying to get his work on TV. He has an encounter with Dora Belair, played by Angelique Pettyjohn. Pettyjohn also played Shahna on Star Trek TOS: The Gamesters of Triskelion, and a poster with a shot of her in her gamester outfit is hanging on the wall in Dora’s office. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/96 "2013-02-18T23:08:03Z")
In the final season of The A Team, they were recruited by a secret government organisation, run by Robert Vaughn, who was definitely not an older Napoleon Solo. In one episode, the came up against his formed partner David McCallum, who was definitely not an older Kuryakin. The episode title : The Say Unlcle Affair. In case you don’t know, all episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. were called The \_\_\_\_\_\_ Affair. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/97 "2013-02-18T23:10:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > There was a scene in Stargat SG-1 in which they ripped apart the network for not supporting them. A not so subtle reference to the money they were putting towards Eureka. Of course the network later abandoned Eureka in order to put on more cheap ghost shows. Anyway here is the[clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPt3Cgvrjy4). I don’t think I’ve seen another show blast their network like that on air. “Married…with Children” had a routine on several episodes that when the Bundys were about to watch a show on FOX, the four of them would spread out holding a wire antenna, the implication being that FOX was only available on low powered UHF channels. There were some instances on “I Love Lucy” when Ricky would be agitated when someone mentioned Xavier Cugat. Desi Arnaz had played in Cugat’s band and while he appreciated what he learned, he also described Cugat as a first class cheapskate. There is an episode in “The Lucy Show” where she does a double take and “have I met you before?” over meeting an older man. It was played by William Frawley, who was Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy”. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/98 "2013-02-18T23:30:01Z")
On the 1995 version of “Get Smart” Zack Smart finds himself dating Jessica,the daughter of KAOS agent Siegfried. They start talking about the lies their parents told them: Maxwell and 99 told Zack they worked for a greeting card company (the alibi used in the original in episodes with 99’s mother). Jessica replies that her father used a bigger lie to explain his absences: he was a doctor on a cruise ship. Bernie Kopell, the actor portraying Siegfried, also played the doctor on “The Love Boat”. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/99 "2013-02-19T00:09:36Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > There were some instances on “I Love Lucy” when Ricky would be agitated when someone mentioned Xavier Cugat. Desi Arnaz had played in Cugat’s band and while he appreciated what he learned, he also described Cugat as a first class cheapskate. Lucy played Liz Cugat on the radio show My Favorite Husband. the character couple had their last name changed to Cooper because of name confusion with the musician. that show was a basis for I Love Lucy for which Lucy would only do on tv with Desi. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498/100 "2013-02-19T00:57:39Z")
In one of the last episodes of _Cheers_, Cliff and Norm are mourning the closing of a Drive In Movie Theater. Norm, Cliff, Woody and Frasier are off to see a Godzilla Triple Feature and they start talking about an actress who wasn’t in the third movie. Woody deadpans: “Why would an actress leave right in the middle of a successful series?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-jokes-on-tv-shows/650498.md?page=6)