# 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:** 205
**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:** [April 18, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4084 "2021-04-18T17:32:14Z")
This seems about as close as can get w/o starting a new thread, so here goes: _Still reeling over the realization that all those dog stories, where the dog returns to the train station daily to meet his (long dead) master, are not examples of dog empathy but are merely the result of:_ _1. Dogs like routine_ _2. The dog kept getting fed at the train station or along the way_ _Ergo, the dog kept returning merely because it became part of his foraging routine, not because he was expecting someone to disembark and was broken hearted every time his master didn’t appear._ ---
**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:** [April 18, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4085 "2021-04-18T19:21:42Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > It ocurred to me the other day that **Life of Brian** may have been parodying Spartacus in the scene at the end (“No, I’m Brian!”). When Emperor Caligula was assassinated, there were a lot of people who wanted him dead for a lot of reasons, but the guy who actually did it was a member of the Praetorian Guard, Cassius Chaerea, who hated Caligula for personal reasons. Chaerea has an unusually high pitched voice, which Caligula found outrageously funny, and would mock the Praetorian by making him say phrases the struck Caligula as particularly amusing, and by setting the password to be admitted to him to things like “boobs” and “penis” because he thought it was funny to hear Chaerea say them in his high voice. I’m pretty sure this situation (with the roles reversed) was the direct inspiration for the “Biggus Dickus” scene. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4086 "2021-04-18T19:43:02Z")
Not SEX, _love._ They are different things. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4087 "2021-04-19T04:08:42Z")
Back in 1973 I joined the Columbia Record Club, and among my twelve LPs for a penny, I selected _Parsley, Sage, Rosemary &Thyme_ by Simon and Garfunkel. The other day, while relaxing with my girlfriend, we decided to listen to the album on her Echo (which she calls “Echo” because she hates the name Alexa. But I digress). When we were finishing up _The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine_, I took note of the line _are you worried ‘cause your girlfriend’s just a little late?_, and it suddenly occurred to me that the schlemiel\* being addressed isn’t standing around waiting for her to show up for their date, he’s (putatively) afraid that she’s pregnant. The spur-of-the-moment observation blew both of our minds. \*(He might be a shmendrick. A Yiddish language expert I’m not.) ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4088 "2021-04-19T11:05:25Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > **The Hunt for Red October** Well, as it turns out, part of the back story of the Jack Ryan character I mentioned five posts up includes a back injury that cut short his military career. So, what I thought was a weird shot of him washing his butt is probably just him bending forward to get his back under the hot water. _Back story_, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4089 "2021-04-19T20:55:36Z")
Similarly those stories of dolphins helping a shipwreck survivor get back to land. Ever notice that you never see the stories about the other dolphins, who led survivors further out to sea? ---
**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:** [April 19, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4090 "2021-04-19T21:06:24Z")
_‘We thought we were gonna get this thing to beach himself, get some chuckles. Then the mfer just starts walking! We were completely punk’d!’_ ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4091 "2021-04-24T14:17:06Z")
[This scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MICPyrnGYwg) from Tombstone and I realized two things during the same rewatching. 1. Historically faro had been open to blatant cheating. I always wondered why Wyatt moved Curley’s money. Then it hit me. He knew the next card was a king and made Curley win. And Curley knows this and backs down a bit with grudging respect which plays into the next one. 2. Johnny Ringo pulls his gun on Doc Holliday and Doc doesn’t even flinch. Yeah Doc is a honey-badger, everyone knows that and that’s not what I just realized. When Curley says, “Watch it Johnny, I hear he’s real fast.” I know Doc has his right hand free but Ringo (no slouch with a gun) has a cocked revolver pointed to Doc’s face and Doc is clearly feeling poorly _and Curley is still afraid of Doc_. I’m beginning to think that with all of the subtlety from all the characters and just the absolute brilliant acting, this might be one of the best scenes in all of movie making. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4092 "2021-04-24T21:21:43Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > [This scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MICPyrnGYwg) from Tombstone and I realized two things during the same rewatching. Is that Johnny Tyler (played by Billy Bob Thorton) asking for an autograph? The guy he showed out of the saloon a few scenes earlier? ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4093 "2021-04-25T14:20:23Z")
Curley wins $500 on that. Seems like an incredible amount of money for the time, doesn’t it? It’s close to $14,000 in today’s dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4094 "2021-04-25T17:36:03Z")
And Wyatt is all about the money in Tombstone. With his10% of the take he gave away $50 in Earp money. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4095 "2021-05-03T17:03:59Z")
Discworld has A’Tuin. This resembles the Polynesian word atua. Coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4096 "2021-05-03T17:45:59Z")
Probably? A’Tuin is the turtle upon whose shell Discworld rests. It’s a clear reference to the infamous (and possibly apocryphal) “It’s turtles all the way down!” cosmology. “Atua”, on the other hand, is a word that means, roughly, “strength” or “power”, and is used to refer to Polynesian divinities and spirits. So far as I know, the idea of a World Turtle has no equivalent in Polynesian beliefs, and so far as I know, the people of Discworld don’t think of A’Tuin as a god or spirit. It’s possible, of course, that Terry Pratchett came across the Polynesian word, thought it sounded cool, and derived A’Tuin’s name from it, but there’s no real connection that I can see. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4097 "2021-05-03T18:13:09Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > It’s a clear reference to the infamous (and possibly apocryphal) “It’s turtles all the way down!” cosmology. Some indigenous North American people have stories of [the world being supported on a turtle’s back](https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/turtle-island). Nothing infamous about it. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4098 "2021-05-03T18:20:44Z")
The “infamous” cosmology I was referring to is an oft-told story about a prominent astronomer giving a talk, and afterwards being approached by a little old lady who told him his talk was very nice, but the fact was the world was flat and rested on the back of a turtle. The astronomer asked the lady what the turtle was standing on. The lady responded, “Very clever, young man, but it’s turtles all the way down!”. The little old lady of the story, if she actually existed, may have been referencing Algonquin mythology, but Pratchett, with his Discworld resting on the backs of four giant elephants standing on the back of a Giant Star Turtle (_Chelys galactica_) swimming through the cosmos, is referencing the “It’s turtles all the way down!” of the little old lady. At least I’m pretty sure. I don’t _think_ he was intentionally mocking authentic Algonquin beliefs. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4099 "2021-05-03T19:03:55Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > is referencing the “It’s turtles all the way down!” of the little old lady. If my mother was the Little Old Lady, it would be macadamia turtles all the way down. > **[Macadamia Turtles](https://www.mrfood.com/Candy/Macadamia-Turtles)** > > Bet you didn't know how simple it is to make these rich and gooey candy treats! Put these sweet homemade treasures out at your next party or wrap them up with a cute bow and give them as a gift. These turtles are sure to impress so don't be surprised... ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4100 "2021-05-05T06:44:32Z")
that was another another thing that’s explained better in the book …he was described as a “self made man” type (my paraphrasing of 3 pages of background) and grew up in NYC so he knew about the mafia but he didn’t get into the movies until he was older and didn’t get “class” until years later supposedly he was based on harry cohn boss of columbia pictures … > [@WildaBeast](#): > > This is probably something that was obvious to people who were alive when it came out, but as someone born in 1980 I was always confused by the tree lot in _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ . What was with all the metal trees? I’d never seen a metal Christmas tree before. I’d seen artificial trees, of course, but those were all plastic and green and resembled real trees. I just recently learned that shiny [aluminum Christmas trees](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum_Christmas_tree) were an actual fad in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Charlie Brown special makes a lot more sense now. actually grandma had one in the box … bought by grandpa to cel;ebrate a promotion he received … they were more expensive than a real tree (which ironically is more expensive than most artificial trees these days)they used it for a few years but grandma said it was “fugly” and the kids wanted a real again after a while > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I grew up in the sixties and I’m sure my parents would have been shocked if I came home bleeding because some adult had hit me. wasn’t the bleeding due to his ear getting messed up in the first place ? So if he wasn’t drunk and hit the “good” ear which didn’t bleed no one would of probably thought anything about it Heres something I just realized after 40 years : In the alien/SciFi series V the big secret of the lizard based “visitors” is there using humans as food ,But there’s usually a couple of scenes where there’s a human standing in underwear as there getting examined by one of the visitors 10 year old me figured they were just looking over dinner, but in one scene one chides the other for “playing with their food” I just realized the meaning of that line … ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4101 "2021-05-07T02:15:33Z")
I have no idea how many times I have seen West Side Story. Tonight I noticed that, in the “Officer Krupke” number just before the war council, all of the Jets are wearing the same shoes ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4102 "2021-05-07T02:16:38Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/j7TT4jnnWys/maxresdefault.jpg "West Side Story - Gee Officer Krupke! (1961) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7TT4jnnWys) ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4103 "2021-05-07T02:39:40Z")
Blue suede? They’re wearing chuck taylors for most of the movie, but they’d just been to the dance prior to _Krupke_, so they’re dressed up! [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=204) [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=206)