# 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:** 112
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2221 "2015-02-21T05:35:37Z")
I didn’t even get this on my own, it’s pointed out in Kingsman… latter-day James Bond style heroes? Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer… JB, JB. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2222 "2015-02-21T17:12:00Z")
I listened to [Perex Hilton’s 2013 Holiday Dishlist](http://uk.ask.com/youtube?q=PEREZ%E2%80%99+2013+HOLIDAY+DISHLIST-+Perez+Hilton&v=xYZrDMrAHvo&qsrc=472) quite a few times before realizing that a song title from every show was worked into the lyrics. Way to go, lyricists Lynn Pinto & George Howe! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2223 "2015-02-22T05:55:45Z")
(never mind) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2224 "2015-02-22T15:48:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve admitted before that for several years I thought actresses [Leslie Bibb](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Bibb) and [Leslie Mann](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Mann) were the same person. In my defense, they have similar names, similar appearances, are about the same age, and do the same kind of roles. Until a few months ago, I thought Richard Kind and Dan Lauria were the same guy. I don’t know how I came up with that idea… ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2225 "2015-02-23T07:10:05Z")
Whew! Just today, my b.i.l. told me the “Frau Blucher” legend – that the horses in Young Frankenstein whinnied in terror at Blucher’s name, because “Blucher” means “glue” in German. I was all set to post that to this thread…until I happened on [the Snopes.com thread on the subject](http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/blucher.asp)! Whew! (Anyway, “Blucher” wouldn’t mean “Glue,” because the form is wrong. It might have meant “Gluer,” as German uses “er” much the same way English does: Decker - Thatcher, Schneider - Tailor, etc. But, of course, it doesn’t even mean Gluer.) So, as the nice lady used to say, “Never mind.” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2226 "2015-02-23T22:25:13Z")
After the umpteenth listening, I finally caught “Nobody knows in America Puerto Rico’s in America!” I don’t know how I was interpreting it before. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2227 "2015-02-24T16:28:07Z")
In Gremlins, while one is peeking out from the ground and looking at Mrs Deagle’s house, he’s saying her name over and over. [“DEEEEEA gle…DEEEA gle DEEA gle DEEEEEEEEEEEEEA gle”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qHSUAvuLWU) For some reason, while I’d seen this movie tons of time as a kid and teen, I never really paid attention to what Stripe was saying there. I thought it was just gibberish. I only heard it correctly for the first time a few years ago. It was ah “Ohhhhhh!” moment for me, to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2228 "2015-02-27T01:47:20Z")
_The Wall_ is the best work of art in any medium ever, but I just realized that the operator’s “cluelessness” at not being able to connect in the phone call (“This is United States calling…it’s a man answering!”) may be _completely_ feigned – she may _totally_ know that Pink is being cuckolded but has to keep an indifferent “surprised” demeanor nonetheless out of business propriety. The Wall is so great, though, that it still takes on another meaning at that level, namely, the indifference of modern sanitized bureaucracy – she can’t and might not even want to express sympathy for the situation – even if the surface level of dramatic irony where the operator is _completely_ oblivious to what’s going on is called into question. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2229 "2015-02-27T04:23:47Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > _The Wall_ is the best work of art in any medium ever, but I just realized that the operator’s “cluelessness” at not being able to connect in the phone call (“This is United States calling…it’s a man answering!”) may be _completely_ feigned – she may _totally_ know that Pink is being cuckolded but has to keep an indifferent “surprised” demeanor nonetheless out of business propriety. This was not dramatized; according to Roger Waters it was a set-up using a real operator and they recorded the results. > [@Roger Waters](#): > > I love that operator on it, I think she’s wonderful. She didn’t know what was happening at all, the way she picks up on…I mean it’s been edited a bit, but the way she picks up, all that stuff about “is there supposed to be someone else there beside your wife” you know I think is amazing, she really clicked into it straight away. She’s terrific! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2230 "2015-02-27T05:28:28Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > It only took me 58 years to suddenly realize why Huckleberry Hound is blue. [Oh, that’s an easy one!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyZs3EJgx8Q) ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2231 "2015-02-27T07:23:02Z")
> [@Chicago\_Faucet](#): > > “Seven”. I just watched it for the first time last night, in something like ten years. > > By the way, the movie “Seven” is 20 years old now. Wha?! > > The victim of Greed was an attorney named Eli Gould. I missed it the first several times I watched the movie that the antagonist forced Gould to cut out the pound of his own flesh. Holy Crap! And until this post I never realized the “greed” victim’s name was “Gold”.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2232 "2015-03-02T07:24:24Z")
Here’s one for fans of the Who. I just purchased a Kindle version of their greatest hits for piano. Great arrangements I’d never seen before, great collection of tunes, including two versions of Pinball Wizard, one by the Who and the Elton John version. OK. The Who version contains a line as I’ve heard it: “I thought I was the body table king.” I didn’t QUITE understand what it meant, but maybe you use your full body to play, whatever. BUT I note this change to the line in the John version: “I thought I was the Bally table king.” Ah ha! Bally makes casino games and pinball machines! Makes so much more sense now! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2233 "2015-03-02T17:30:34Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > BUT I note this change to the line in the John version: “I thought I was the Bally table king.” > Ah ha! Bally makes casino games and pinball machines! Makes so much more sense now! Shit. I always thought it was “the mighty table king”. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2234 "2015-03-04T22:01:42Z")
In Yakko’s World from Animaniacs, wherein he rattles off the nations of the world… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/x88Z5txBc7w/maxresdefault.jpg "Animaniacs - Yakko's World - HIGH QUALITY") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x88Z5txBc7w) I was always hearing “Germany, now in peace”, in reference to the wars. When, in all probability, he’s probably saying “Germany, now one piece.” Esp. since a quick Goggling says it was 1993, when German reunification was still pretty fresh. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2235 "2015-03-04T22:14:17Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > OK. The Who version contains a line as I’ve heard it: “I thought I was the body table king.” I didn’t QUITE understand what it meant, but maybe you use your full body to play, whatever. > > BUT I note this change to the line in the John version: “I thought I was the Bally table king.” > Ah ha! Bally makes casino games and pinball machines! Makes so much more sense now! “Bally” is also British slang, used as a more “polite” substitute for “bloody.” ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2236 "2015-03-05T02:34:10Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > In Yakko’s World from Animaniacs, wherein he rattles off the nations of the world… > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player\_embedded&v=x88Z5txBc7w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x88Z5txBc7w) > > I was always hearing “Germany, now in peace”, in reference to the wars. When, in all probability, he’s probably saying “Germany, now one piece.” > > Esp. since a quick Goggling says it was 1993, when German reunification was still pretty fresh. The lyric is in fact “Germany, now in one piece.” ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2237 "2015-03-12T10:26:51Z")
For whatever reason, I was trying to draw the BMW logo (it has a blue & white checkerboard pattern modeled on the Bavarian flag), but I couldn’t remember the order of the colors. Then I finally noticed: The B is over the Blue square. The W is over the White square. (The M, of course, is in the Middle) Complete coincidence, I’m sure, but neat nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2238 "2015-03-16T12:52:18Z")
Watched Mary Poppins for the umpteenth time yesterday, when it occurred to me: Mr. Banks’ son gave his father the tuppence with which Michael had accidentally caused a run on Banks’ bank. Later on, Mr. Banks sings, “With tuppence for paper and string…” in the song “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.” It just occurred to me that it was his son’s coin he used to buy the kite-making supplies. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2239 "2015-03-16T13:07:31Z")
It wasn’t until I watched the film several times that I realized what a convoluted life the pistol used by T. E. Lawrence used in David Lean’s film **Lawrence of Arabia**. It’s admired by his Arab guide on the way to see Faisal, so Lawrence gives it to him. The guide tries to shoot Sharif Ali when they are at the well, but is shot first. Sharif Ali takes the gun, after Lawrence says it is the guide’s. When they are crossing the Nefud, en route to Aqaba, the altercation breaks out, and Lawrence volunteers to kill the offender, so that tribal rivalry won’t break up the force. He takes the gun from Ali’s sash and uses it to shoot the offender (who turns out to be the man Lawrence saved from the desert during the crossing earlier). It was while shooting him that he realizes that he took pleasure in it. He throws the gun away, disgustedly. Other rush in and fight over the gun. Not a good sign, and a harbinger of future unrest. The script was co-authored by Robert Bolt, who had, I then realized, a habit of doing this sort of thing. In the play _A Man for All Seasons_ and later, in Bolt’s screenplay, the cup More is given was, he belatedly realized, a bribe. He tries to dispose of it in the river, but the boatman rescues it. He gives it to Richard Rich, who needs the money, but Rich mentions it to Cromwell, who tries to use it to prosecute More for corruption. (Apparently the silver cup bribe was a real thing, although I don’t know how much of the sequel was). He also used it in his script for **dr. Zhivago** , where the pistol Antipov finds after the Guard runs down the protestors, which he gives to Lara to keep, end up being the one she uses to shoot Komarovsky. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/2240 "2015-03-16T16:03:14Z")
I knew the actor on _Scrubs_ who played Turk was Donald Faison. When I started watching _The Wire_, I saw that one of the cast members listed in the credits was Frankie Faison. Faison’s not a common name. And the actor who played D’Angelo Barksdale on _The Wire_ looked like Donald Faison. So I put two and two together in my head and assumed Donald and Frankie Faison were brothers who both acted. Later on, I found out that the actor who played D’Angelo is Larry Gilliard. Frankie Faison played a different character on the show. Donald Faison, Larry Gilliard, and Frankie Faison are all unrelated as far as I know. In my defense, [Donald Faison](http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/wennpic/wenn2572593.jpg) and [Larry Gilliard](http://www.horror-movies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lawrence-Gilliard-Jr..jpg) do look enough alike to be brothers. [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=111) [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=113)