“He’s a chimp; she’s a gimp. They’re detectives!” (Or “They fight crime!,” according to the TV Tropes site.) I know this one was popularized by Mystery Science Theater, but I have this vague feeling that this form was actually used in promoting some '70s TV show. Can any real-world non-post-ironic examples be pinned down?
This is close
1973:
I doubt that that is the first occurrence of that type of phrasing, though. But, we’ve at least set a benchmark. Maybe.
That’s a good one. But only the first half works. I’m interested in something more succinct, like “they’re ___!” or “they ___ ___!”
How about the intro to Hart to Hart:
“This is my boss, Joanthan Hart, a self-made millionaire, he’s quite a guy. This is Mrs H., she’s gorgeous, she’s one lady who knows how to take care of herself. By the way my name is Max. I take care of both of them, which ain’t easy cause when they met it was murder”
Still not sufficiently pithy.
I think this is a little closer:
She’s a girl from the big city. He’s a reckless soldier of fortune. For a fabulous treasure, they share an adventure no one could imagine… or survive.
- Romancing the Stone
It’s not clear to me whether that tagline is something from that TV Guide article or something you made up yourself. I’m looking for evidence of actual usage, not just clever descriptions of things that we can come up with ourselves. That’s why I’ve written off the TV Tropes page on this topic as useless.
And also your quote is missing the second, critical part. What is it that they do when they get together?
Note that the TV Guide article put the line in quotes, suggesting that the author sourced it. And here’s a reasonably authoritative citethat says it was the network’s tagline.
If you’re looking for a 40 year-old newspaper ad or video with the exact phrase, I can’t help you. But if you want a “real-world non-post-ironic example” of the trope, I think it fits.
Yes, that was in the old TV commercials. I remember being bugged by the implication that the blonde wasn’t white.
As soon as I read the OP, I said "One black. One white. One blond."
Did it ever end with “All cops.” – or did I add that in my young brain, thinking that it really should be there?
Nope. I’m looking for a match in this exact form – “He/she is a _____. He/she is a ____. They/They’re _____.”
Interestingly, although she’s the most whitebread waspy looking of the trio both her maternal and paternal grandparents were Eastern European Jews.
Possibly the origin of the meme, a sketch from Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
That’s a hilarious sketch. Boy, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that movie. But it’s still missing the kicker, isn’t it?