# Obvious things about a creative work you realize after the millionth time (OPEN SPOILERS POSSIBLE) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117 "2009-07-24T13:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 102
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2021 "2014-10-20T21:07:25Z")
The comics page just had a 60th anniversary tribute to the strip Hi and Lois, the names of the two parents of the family. (Who started out looking extremely chic suburban - who knew?) But it made me think about the names and suddenly it hit me. They’re a pun on high and low. Why that pun I don’t know. Lois is Beetle Bailey’s sister and Hi is short for Hiram and so what? Andy Capp at least always wears a cap. Anyway Hi, Hi. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2022 "2014-10-20T21:21:03Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The comics page just had a 60th anniversary tribute to the strip Hi and Lois, the names of the two parents of the family. (Who started out looking extremely chic suburban - who knew?) > > But it made me think about the names and suddenly it hit me. They’re a pun on high and low. > > Why that pun I don’t know. Lois is Beetle Bailey’s sister and Hi is short for Hiram and so what? Andy Capp at least always wears a cap. Anyway Hi, Hi. It is about the highs and lows of family life. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2023 "2014-10-20T22:10:40Z")
The Canadian characters in the “show within a show” on South Park are Terrence & Phillip. Their comedy is almost entirely fart jokes. They wear shirts that say T&P (respectively). T. P. Toilet paper. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2024 "2014-10-21T02:43:30Z")
Andy Capp is also a pun on “handicap” because he bets on horse races. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2025 "2014-10-21T05:19:33Z")
A couple things just came to me recently. I was looking at a clip from “Third Rock from the Sun” and realized that the guys names are Tom(my), Dick and Harry. I watched the entire original run and never got that. :smack: And I was reading something today and came across the word “gavotte”. Suddenly I heard “You’re So Vain” in my head and realized Carly was singing “watch yourself gavotte” (I always mumbled that part). I didn’t even know what it meant and had to look it up. Heh. Makes sense now. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2026 "2014-10-21T16:10:28Z")
The song Indiana Wants Me renders itself moot at the end. The entire course of the song is about how he can’t return home to Indiana to his woman and their child, and that he killed a guy for talking crap about her. (Seems legit.) He can’t go back because he’s wanted and/or escaped prison, and if he goes back they’ll incarcerate him. But it ends with the cops in whatever non-Indiananian location he’s in catching up with him and closing in on him. So the fact that he couldn’t go back to Indiana doesn’t really matter as the jig was up regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2027 "2014-10-22T06:00:26Z")
Doesn’t mean he has to make it easy for them. He is _trying_ to get away. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2028 "2014-10-22T06:55:38Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I just watched the scene in question and I don’t hear the TV… there’s an alarm, crickets, then “You’ll be a Woman Soon”… ? Sorry, I wasn’t clear. The scene with the news report is later in the movie. It’s when Butch is going back to his apartment to get his watch. He’s walking through the courtyard and you hear sounds coming out of the other apartments - people talking, babies crying, dogs barking, things like that. And one of the things you hear is a TV (or maybe a radio) reporting the theft. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2029 "2014-10-23T17:21:09Z")
Just yesterday, the radio was playing Weird Al’s “Eat It”, his riff on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”. The backup singer did not cry “Oh, Lord!” in a strange accent. She cried “Oh, lard!” ---
**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:** [October 23, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2030 "2014-10-23T18:17:32Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Sorry, I wasn’t clear. The scene with the news report is later in the movie. It’s when Butch is going back to his apartment to get his watch. He’s walking through the courtyard and you hear sounds coming out of the other apartments - people talking, babies crying, dogs barking, things like that. And one of the things you hear is a TV (or maybe a radio) reporting the theft. Here’s the scene in question. I can’t hear any radio/tv in the background. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/m3NtjdWViX8/hqdefault.jpg "Butch's Apartment-Pulp Fiction") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3NtjdWViX8) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2031 "2014-10-23T18:28:40Z")
**Nemo** means earlier, when Butch gets out of his car and walks to the complex. There is a mention of the restaurant as he’s walking past some windows, but it is an advertisement for the restaurant, not a news report. Actually, re-reading the post, **Nemo** does mean the scene you linked to… but, like you, I can’t hear any TV/radio noises. However, there is a clear JRS reference before he makes it to the apartment complex. If you turn the captions on, it’s even clearer. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2032 "2014-10-23T18:33:43Z")
What’s JRS? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2033 "2014-10-23T18:35:17Z")
Jack Rabbit Slims, the restaurant where the dance contest was held. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2034 "2014-10-24T03:33:07Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > I saw [this picture](http://i.imgur.com/nqgJnwX.jpg) on imgur today, and it immediately reminded me of podracing from _The Phantom Menace_. And then it clicked that podracing was essentially sci-fi chariot racing, and that was probably Lucas’s intent all along. I wonder if any scenes were lifted from Ben-Hur? _ **Ben-Hur** _, _ **Spartacus** _, and _ **Cleopatra** _. Probably more, but I’ve tried my best to block the whole movie from my memory. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2035 "2014-10-24T03:37:59Z")
The theme from _ **You’re in Love, Charlie Brown** _ (_“You’ll have your day/She’ll come your way/You’re in love, Charlie Brown!”_) was taken largely from the second movement (_andantino semplice_) of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2036 "2014-10-24T03:41:44Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > I watched the scene, thought nothing of it, then this morning woke up and realized “Welsh rabbit!” They were making a pun on Welsh rarebit! > > Or not, but I bet they were. I’ve always thought “Welsh rarebit” was a pun on “Welsh rabbit,” as in “Poor coal miners can’t afford meat, so they eat cheese instead.” 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2037 "2014-10-24T04:01:23Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > “Intent” being “borrowing from a vague semi-conscious mish-mash of images Lucas saw on TV and at Saturday matinees as a ten year old”, maybe. Lucas is a movie buff and steals frequently from classics. The pod race was fully conscious stealing from Ben-Hur. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2038 "2014-10-24T04:04:38Z")
“Welsh rarebit” and “Welsh rabbit” are the same thing. “Rarebit” is a folk etymology for “rabbit”: > **[Welsh rarebit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rarebit)** > > Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit (/ˈrɛərbɪt/ or /ˈræbɪt/) is a dish consisting of a hot cheese-based sauce served over slices of toasted bread. The original 18th-century name of the dish was the jocular "Welsh rabbit", which was later reinterpreted as "rarebit", as the dish contains no rabbit. Variants include English rabbit, Scottish rabbit, buck rabbit, golden buck, and blushing bunny. > Though there is no strong evidence that the dish originated in Welsh cuisine, it is sometimes identified with... ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2039 "2014-10-24T04:05:28Z")
“Stealing” is such an ugly word. It was a “homage.” ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2040 "2014-10-24T04:11:30Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > “Welsh rarebit” and “Welsh rabbit” are the same thing. “Rarebit” is a folk etymology for “rabbit”: > > [Welsh rarebit - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rarebit) And this contradicts me … how? 😕 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=101) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=103)