# 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:** 248
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4945 "2022-08-14T03:50:32Z")
I feel like we should do a “Going down the rabbit hole thread and finding stuff out.” Does anyone else watch an old show then look up an actor or actresses bio? I was watching some eurotrash movie the other day, [The Mask of Satan](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171512/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_28) and was intrigued by this actress Debora Caprioglio. Turns out she was engaged to Klaus Kinski from 1987-1989. When she was 19 and he was…61 fucking years old. Dude DIED, two years after they broke up. I did not know that. A lot less nefarious, I found out that Tom Poston and Suzanne Pleshette were married in the last 6 or so years of their lives. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4946 "2022-08-14T03:58:35Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > Tom Poston and Suzanne Pleshette But… they weren’t even in the same Bob Newhart series! ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4947 "2022-08-14T04:00:52Z")
I know!!! They met before either show, and he guest starred on the first Newhart series from time to time. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2022, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4948 "2022-08-14T12:46:32Z")
Poston and Pleshette knew each other at least as early as 1959, since they dated for a short time in that year when they appeared together in a play that year. They were friends but did not date over the decades after that point although they saw each other while filming the television shows. Poston had been briefly married to his first wife a decade before meeting Pleshette in 1959. He was married to two other women after that point. His third wife died in 1998. Pleshette was married twice during those decades. Her second husband died in 2000. They met again after the deaths of their spouses and got married. This is explained in detail in these Wikipedia entries: > **[Suzanne Pleshette](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Pleshette)** > > Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American theatre, film, television, and voice actress. Pleshette started her career in the theatre and began appearing in films in the late 1950s and later appeared in prominent films such as Rome Adventure (1962), Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), and Spirited Away (2001). She later appeared in various television productions, often in guest roles, and played Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show from 1972 until 1978, receiving > **[Tom Poston](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Poston)** > > Thomas Gordon Poston (October 17, 1921 – April 30, 2007) was an American television and film actor. He starred on television in a career that began in 1950. He appeared as a comic actor, game show panelist, comedy/variety show host, film actor, television actor, and Broadway performer. > According to USA Today Life editor Dennis Moore, Poston appeared in more sitcoms than any other actor. In the 1980s, he played George Utley opposite Bob Newhart's character on the CBS sitcom Newhart, receiving ... ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4949 "2022-08-14T15:53:54Z")
Yes they were, Poston played Bob’s college friend in several episodes, he was an inveterate practical joker. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4950 "2022-08-14T18:12:24Z")
This is hilarious…also looks kinda dangerous. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FyFInG9BSJ4/hqdefault.jpg "Bob Newhart S5 Emily practical joke") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyFInG9BSJ4) ---
**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:** [August 14, 2022, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4951 "2022-08-14T19:21:45Z")
The little clock icon on my phone. You know, the one that governs the alarm. The hands on it actually move to reflect the actual time. I had always just thought it was a generic clock image showing the hands at a random fixed time. Just noticed the other day that the hands move. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4952 "2022-08-14T20:13:16Z")
And the tiny ‘calendar’ icon in the dock on my Macbook used to always show July 17 (birthday!), but somewhere around MacOS 10.9 or so, it started displaying the current date. (Thanks, Apple, I really wanted to spend processor cycles on cutesy graphics…) ---
**Author:** ![Yogeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yogeekgirl/32/4129_2.png) [@Yogeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4953 "2022-08-14T20:18:29Z")
David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane- a Lad Insane. Duh! 🙄 That only took me about 20 years to notice! ⚡ ⚡ ⚡ ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4954 "2022-08-14T20:40:20Z")
Same here. I’m not sure what my timeline was on it, but probably something similar. I remember, at the time it hit me, wondering why the heck it had taken me so long. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4955 "2022-08-14T20:44:54Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And the tiny ‘calendar’ icon in the dock on my Macbook used to always show July 17 (birthday!), but somewhere around MacOS 10.9 or so, it started displaying the current date. Interesting. July 17 is also _my_ birthday! The calendar emoji on my iPhone displays July 17. 📅 I’ve always wondered if that’s just a coincidence, or if it shows everyone their birthday. Can anyone confirm or deny? ETA: Okay, weird. In preview, the emoji does indeed read July 17, but in the post it’s March 21. I have no idea why. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4956 "2022-08-14T21:23:14Z")
I had to be told about Bowie’s Low Profile. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4957 "2022-08-14T22:43:02Z")
This is how the following went down: “Hey, the end of Life on Mars sounds like the end of the 2001 a… Space Oddity…song…FFS.” ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4958 "2022-08-15T00:56:49Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The little clock icon on my phone. You know, the one that governs the alarm. The hands on it actually move to reflect the actual time. I had always just thought it was a generic clock image showing the hands at a random fixed time. Whoa! ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4959 "2022-08-15T18:30:07Z")
I just noticed that in the default background image for my version of Windows, there’s light shining out of the Windows logo. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4960 "2022-08-22T01:20:01Z")
> She came in through the bathroom window > Tempted by a silver spoon Wait - what is a silver spoon doing in the bathroom? Oooooohhhh … ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4961 "2022-08-22T10:55:30Z")
An obvious thing I realized a couple of days ago… I know what muses are, I know what music is. But, I never correlated muse and music. If I was told I forgot it. ---
**Author:** ![williamweigand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@williamweigand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williamweigand)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4962 "2022-08-22T11:59:15Z")
I’ve always thought the line was “Protected by a silver spoon”. Don’t know what that could mean, though. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4963 "2022-08-22T12:04:47Z")
It is. My guess is that it comes from the phrase “Born with a silver spoon in her mouth”, meaning that she was a rich kid who thought she could get away with anything. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4964 "2022-08-22T12:19:34Z")
> [@digs](#): > > they weren’t even in the same Bob Newhart series! Well, Pleshette was in at least _one_ episode of “Newhart”… [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=247) [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=249)