# Origin of "drinking bender" scene **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-drinking-bender-scene/542555 "2010-06-09T17:20:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-drinking-bender-scene/542555/1 "2010-06-09T17:20:37Z")
Was watching **Kids In the Hall** yesterday and part of the “Girl Drink Drunk” sketch got me wondering what the origin of the “[drinking bender](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_H_sVNgvf4#t=1m56s)” scene is. You know, black background, bar signs floating around and past drunken person stumbling around. It’s been copied/parodied in countless films, TV shows, and cartoons. I was curious where that originated. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-drinking-bender-scene/542555/2 "2010-06-09T17:27:07Z")
The Lost Weekend. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-drinking-bender-scene/542555/3 "2010-06-09T17:28:11Z")
I admit this is a WAG because I haven’t seen the film, but I suspect it may have originated from [Lost Weekend](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037884/), classic Billy Wilder film starring Ray Milland as an alcoholic writer. _Edited: Goddamit! Second scooping in 24 hours! Shouldn’t’ve taken the time to find an URL._ ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-drinking-bender-scene/542555/4 "2010-06-09T17:37:14Z")
Aha. Very nice. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-drinking-bender-scene/542555/5 "2010-06-09T17:58:40Z")
I bet he spent his lost weekend in Rio ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-drinking-bender-scene/542555/6 "2010-06-09T19:51:46Z")
Aaaaaannndd, TVTropes has a [page for everything](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DrunkenMontage). ---
**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:** [June 9, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-drinking-bender-scene/542555/7 "2010-06-09T20:07:12Z")
A non-drunken example of this is in the opening number is **Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol** , where the nearsighted Magoo wanders up Broadway singing about how great it is to be onstage again, while animated copies of the marquees of famous Broadway theaters float by, crossing over each other. You also see neon lights (which he sings about) and floating press clippings (of reviews). It’s not listed on the TV Tropes page, but they _do_ list the “drunken binge” scene from **Gay Purr-ee** , which many of the same people were involved in.