# Not another One of "Those" Threads **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414 "2008-07-06T00:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LilGypsyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilGypsyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilGypsyGirl)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/1 "2008-07-06T00:23:08Z")
You know the kind…A long time ago i saw a thing that had this guy in it and they were doing stuff. Then it ended. Can you help? 😃 Alas, it IS on of those threads. This has bothered me for YEARS, and I am pretty sure that ONE of you will be able to help - you all have been so enlightening on the hotdog issue, I figure this is worth a shot. When I was about…10, maybe - so early 80s (although this may have been made prior to that), I was watching PBS, and was totally engrossed in this dark, weird, animated thing. It was pretty ominous to watch, and from what I can remember, there was a man on a journey (or something) and was being pursued throught the flim by a dark character (moustache, tophat, the whole nine yards that would equate a character with “bad.”) Looking back, I want to say it was very Faust-esque, but I am probably wrong. It was very simply animated, had a LOT of very dark instrumental accompaniment, and was foreign (possibly UK or French). It was pretty much black and white animation, almost stick-figures, but a little more complex in their design. I saw it ONCE, and never saw it again. Ever. I remember being a little scared watching it, but totally engrossed. It was definitely NOT a child’s cartoon (from what I remember), more of an artistic piece. I know this will probably get me nowhere, but it’s worth a shot. What I do knw is that if I ever see it again, I will know it in a heartbeat. Thanks, all! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/2 "2008-07-06T02:19:57Z")
Are you sure it was a whole show? That sounds like it could be a very vague 10-year-old’s description of the beginnings of _Mystery!_, with the [Edward Gorey animation](http://youtube.com/watch?v=rAmGsM4Dids&feature=related). ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/3 "2008-07-06T02:26:44Z")
Gotta second Jayjay’s response… it was the first thing that came to mind after reading your descrition… Regards FML ---
**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:** [July 6, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/4 "2008-07-06T03:36:17Z")
Was it followed by a MILF with a British accent? That was Diana Rigg. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/5 "2008-07-06T05:06:38Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Was it followed by a MILF with a British accent? That was Diana Rigg. [/QUOTE] Diana Rigg didn’t start hosting it until 1989. Before that, it was Gene Shalit (1980-1981) and Vincent Price (1981-1989). ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/6 "2008-07-06T05:17:00Z")
Note that there was more than one _Mystery!_ opening sequence, so if the linked one isn’t it you should check the others. I know it really struck me when I was a kid! ---
**Author:** ![LilGypsyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilGypsyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilGypsyGirl)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/7 "2008-07-06T05:53:31Z")
Nope, that wasn’t it. I’m 100% sure that it was an entire program. I remember the opening sequences to Mystery, though. I always thought they were cool. then again, I was a weird child. So, no, not the opening sequence to Mystery. Maybe I hallucinated the whole thing. But I’m pretty sure I didn’t. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LilGypsyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilGypsyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilGypsyGirl)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/8 "2008-07-07T00:26:59Z")
::bump:: Just this once in case the ONE person that has the answer hasn’t seen this yet. 😃 First and last bump, I promise. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/9 "2008-07-07T01:02:13Z")
I’m sorry, **LGG** …if it wasn’t Mystery!, I’m stumped. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/10 "2008-07-07T02:19:54Z")
Don’t know if this was it, but I recall a special PBS ran featuring foreign animation shorts. There were 3 or 4 of them, _VERY_ freaky by standards of the time as I recall. I only remember bits of the Russian one. Fantastic animation and great musical score. Really strange. Took place in the snow, as the Ruskies are want to do. The others were Eastern-bloc offerings as well. I seem to recall the others were equally strange and dark. Maybe this was one of them? No idea what they were titled or how you could find them. ---
**Author:** ![LilGypsyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilGypsyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilGypsyGirl)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/11 "2008-07-07T22:59:16Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Don’t know if this was it, but I recall a special PBS ran featuring foreign animation shorts. There were 3 or 4 of them, _VERY_ freaky by standards of the time as I recall. I only remember bits of the Russian one. Fantastic animation and great musical score. Really strange. Took place in the snow, as the Ruskies are want to do. The others were Eastern-bloc offerings as well. I seem to recall the others were equally strange and dark. Maybe this was one of them? No idea what they were titled or how you could find them. [/QUOTE] OMG! This totally sounds like it could be it!! Now the question is - is my Google-Fu strong enough??? :dubious: THANK YOU, **Gatopescado!** You’ve really helped save my sanity! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/12 "2008-07-07T23:39:56Z")
Just a shot in the dark, inspired by **Gatopescado** ’s hint…could it have been [Labyrinth](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1cZiyO-No4), a Polish animation from 1963 by Jan Lenica? ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/13 "2008-07-08T13:25:28Z")
If you haven’t found it by now, try Googling [Animation Festivals](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=animation+festival&btnG=Google+Search). It sounds like that’s what you saw, as I’ve seen many films that match your description on an animation festival shown on PBS. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-another-one-of-those-threads/455414/14 "2008-07-10T16:20:38Z")
[QUOTE=LilGypsyGirl] THANK YOU, **Gatopescado!** You’ve really helped save my sanity! 😃 [/QUOTE] This is a first. I usually have the opposite effect on women! 😃 Let us know if you find it.