# 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:** 253
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5045 "2022-10-31T14:17:01Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > ```auto > Buy me some peanuts and light beer. > I don't care is nobody's near. > > ``` If you use “buy me some peanuts and **a** light beer”, it scans OK. It doesn’t drink all that well, but to each their own. Preview shows odd highlighting in the quoted portion - that isn’t my doing. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5046 "2022-10-31T14:23:57Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > If you use “buy me some peanuts and **a** light beer”, it scans OK. It doesn’t drink all that well, but to each their own. I dunno - the stress is on the “a”, which doesn’t sound great. I’d go with “Buy me some peanuts and _foreign_ beer”. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5047 "2022-10-31T14:25:23Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I dunno - the stress is on the “a”, which doesn’t sound great. I’d go with “Buy me some peanuts and _foreign_ beer”. Tastes better, too. I was originally going with “Buy me some peanuts and nothing else,” but was stumped on a rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5048 "2022-10-31T14:30:55Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > “Buy me some peanuts and _foreign_ beer”. Foreign beer kind of takes a swipe at the “America’s pastime” aspect of the song, 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:** [October 31, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5049 "2022-10-31T14:32:36Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Foreign beer kind of takes a swipe at the “America’s pastime” aspect of the song, though. “Buy me some peanuts and tasteless beer…” ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5050 "2022-10-31T14:33:13Z")
Now that’s the spirit! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5051 "2022-10-31T14:49:34Z")
I have ignited a passionate debate over a song that is more than 110 years old. My work here is done. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5052 "2022-10-31T14:55:15Z")
You truly have attained to Doper Nirvana. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5053 "2022-10-31T15:08:45Z")
Unpopular opinion: I never liked Cracker Jack peanuts. Love the popcorn part, but the peanuts? Bleagh. You could just sing “Buy me some peanuts _in_ Cracker Jack.” Then it won’t be redundant, and indeed, nobody will even notice that you changed the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5054 "2022-10-31T17:59:37Z")
Or “over-priced beer.” Additional syllable but it still scans. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5055 "2022-10-31T18:00:43Z")
Or “lots of beer,” for the right syllables. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5056 "2022-10-31T18:00:49Z")
“Expensive beer” ---
**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:** [October 31, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5057 "2022-10-31T21:21:26Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Cracker Jack is a sweet snack; peanuts are a salty snack. They are completely different animals. Why some one would want both at the same time, I’ll leave as an exercise for the reader. Who says they’re at the same time? Maybe she eats the peanuts in the third inning, and the crackerjack in the seventh. The song is about the whole outing, which occurs over the course of an entire evening, not about a single moment in the evening. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5058 "2022-10-31T21:25:10Z")
“Buy me tequila and salted nuts, I don’t care if I puke up my guts?” (It doesn’t matter if they could be two snacks. The point is there is a degree of redundancy which few notice. How redundant cannot be interpreted.) ---
**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:** [November 2, 2022, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5059 "2022-11-02T03:23:24Z")
I’m pretty sure I’ve watched _A Christmas Story_ a million times by now. I just saw a trailer for the upcoming sequel, which has some cast members from the original. So I went to Wikipedia to see which ones. And I discovered that everything I thought I knew has been a lie. _A Christmas Story_ (1983) is not the original movie in the franchise. It’s actually the third movie in what is now an eight movie series. _The Phantom of the Open Hearth_ (1976) - Never heard of it _The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters_ (1982) - Never heard of it _A Christmas Story_ (1983) - The only one in the series as far as I’m concerned. _The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski_ (1985) - Never heard of it _Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss_ (1988) - Never heard of it _It Runs in the Family: My Summer Story_ (1994) - Heard about this one. Didn’t watch it. _A Christmas Story 2_ (2012) - Never heard of it _A Christmas Story Christmas_ (2022) - Saw the trailer. Let’s not even get into how Ralphie’s two friends were named Flick and Schwartz, played by R.D. Robb and Scott Schwartz. And they cast Scott Schwartz in the role of Flick. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5060 "2022-11-02T04:06:21Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > And I discovered that everything I thought I knew has been a lie. _A Christmas Story_ (1983) is not the original movie in the franchise. It’s actually the third movie in what is now an eight movie series. Consider my mind to be formally blown. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5061 "2022-11-02T12:05:39Z")
I saw Ollie Hoopnadle’s Haven of Bliss on PBS, once, for more than 20 minutes, in the 70s. It was pretty good as I recall. Of the two I can see why A Christmas Story was much more famous. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5062 "2022-11-02T12:38:28Z")
Replied to add that it must have been late 80s/early 90s. They say the memory is the first thing to go, but i forgot who told me. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5063 "2022-11-02T12:40:58Z")
It was me. Yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/5064 "2022-11-02T12:42:43Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > Replied to add that it must have been late 80s/early 90s. They say the memory is the first thing to go, but i forgot who told me. “Losing your memory is one of the three classic signs of old age.” “What are the other two?” “The other two what?” [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=252) [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=254)