# Parody beats the original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 30, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320 "2009-03-30T15:52:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/61 "2009-03-31T00:54:51Z")
There have been a bunch of fights between Superman and Captain Marvel, but not one of them even comes close to being as brilliant as Wally Wood’s battle between Captain Marbles and Superduperman from Mad Magazine. I can’t see the two characters on the same page without thinking of it. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/62 "2009-03-31T03:06:12Z")
> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#): > > Thanks to this board, I can never listen to Pachelbel’s Canon without hearing [Rob Paravonian](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM) singing, “DA, dadadadaddada,” and segueing into Green Day. That was great. Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/63 "2009-03-31T03:59:34Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Those are good examples. But I am not only looking for things that are better or more enjoyable but ones that creep into your mind when viewing or reading the original. I read Lord of the Rings every few years (I’m due). No matter how many times I read it, Bored of the Rings intrudes into my reading experience. I haven’t read Bored of the Rings but [this written parody of the Fellowship movie](http://www.west-of-the-moon.net/servlet/ReadGenStory?storyID=56) (very quick and easy to read) is one of the funniest parodies I’ve ever been exposed to. My husband and I still quote bits to each other. If one of us says “Boo!” we know exactly what’s referenced. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/64 "2009-03-31T04:13:18Z")
I liked _Doon_ a lot more then _Dune_. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/65 "2009-03-31T04:49:26Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > How many people have read it? How many even know Swift wrote a satire with that name? I’ve yet to meet a person who didn’t at least know OF “a modest proposal” if it was brought up. I don’t think my friends are an accurate sample for America in general, but still, it’s pretty well known. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/66 "2009-03-31T05:29:41Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I haven’t read Bored of the Rings but [this written parody of the Fellowship movie](http://www.west-of-the-moon.net/servlet/ReadGenStory?storyID=56) (very quick and easy to read) is one of the funniest parodies I’ve ever been exposed to. My husband and I still quote bits to each other. If one of us says “Boo!” we know exactly what’s referenced. Bored of the Rings was written for the Harvard Lampoon by two authors who then became the founding editors of National Lampoon. One of them, Doug Kenney, also co-wrote \*Animal House \*(he played Stork in the movie)and _Caddy Shack_. I don’t know if that will make you want to read it or run from it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/67 "2009-03-31T05:36:27Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > There are many Gilbert & Sullivan parodies, but those by Anna Russell and Tom Lehrer (the Elements) overwhelm the originals in my mind. The Cole Porter version of Clementine that he does is also right on (yearning, churning, burning…) > > And in a broader sense, who can listen to Wagner’s Ring without thinking of “You remember Alberich, don’t you?” and thinking of the Valkyrie as Siegried’s Aunts? > [@jayjay](#): > > [Anna Russell](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM15dEexiu0). If you’re at all familiar with the Ring Cycle, it’s beyond hilarious. > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Dude, you are in for a treat. Wow… Anna Russel. Wow. **Thanks**!! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/68 "2009-03-31T06:13:16Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > “I can see Russia from my house!” Exactly. I cannot see Sarah Palin without thinking of Tina Fey. And I cannot see Scarlet O’Hara without thinking of Carol Burnett. And Anna Russell and Bugs Bunny have ruined the Ring Cycle for me. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/69 "2009-03-31T06:15:58Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Dude, you are in for a treat. I wish I could erase it from my memory, so I can hear it for the first time again. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/70 "2009-03-31T06:42:25Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > “Airplane!” spoofs many real disaster movies, including “The High and the Mighty” and several of the “Airport” movies, but the Zucker Brothers bought the rights to “Zero Hour!” (yes, the original had an exclamation point in its title), then used real character names and whole chunks of dialogue from that movie. > > For instance, Ted Stryker was the real name of the pilot played by Dana Andrews in "Zero Hour!! I was about to ask, but I just noticed it on the IMDB page… the script for “Zero Hour!” was written by Alex Hailey, who used the same basic plot in a collaboration with John Castle on the novel “Flight into Danger”. Some of the dialogue from the book certainly turns up in “Airplane!”, like the “worst landing in the history of this airport” bit at the end, but since I’ve never seen “Zero Hour!” I can’t say how much of it is also in that movie. The names are different, though; in the novel, the ex-military pilot who saves the day is George Spencer, not Ted Stryker. The young flodnaks absolutely love “Airplane!”, even if they don’t get a lot of the pop-culture stuff going on; I should see if we can track down a copy of “Zero Hour!” just for comparison. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/71 "2009-03-31T06:46:01Z")
Wierd Al’s Amish Paradise over LL Cool J’s Gangster’s Paradise. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/72 "2009-03-31T07:18:22Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I wish I could erase it from my memory, so I can hear it for the first time again. In 10th grade English, we read through the entire Ring cycle, so when I heard Anna I was primed and ready. She also did excellent lectures on the bag pipe and French horn, on other CDs, and I saw her cover Verdi’s Nabucco. I don’t know if that is on a CD or not. But the first CD is the best. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/73 "2009-03-31T08:14:09Z")
Oh, here is one example where the parody beats the original by a huge margin: Steven Colbert and Bill O’Reilly ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/74 "2009-03-31T08:28:31Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Who can watch the cheesiest of the Bond films without thinking of Dr. Evil? I read somewhere vaguely reputable (_Empire_ Magazine? Something similar, anyway) that Dr. Evil was acknowledged by various people associated with the James Bond industry as being solely responsible for ensuring Blofeld will never again be in a Bond film or a Bond novel; there’s just no way people could take him “seriously” as a Bond Villain anymore. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/75 "2009-03-31T08:31:10Z")
Not really a parody, but whenever I watch _Revenge of the Sith_, after Obi Wan dismembers Anakin I half expect him to say “Look you stupid bastard, you’ve got no arms left…” ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/76 "2009-03-31T13:59:12Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I haven’t read Bored of the Rings but [this written parody of the Fellowship movie](http://www.west-of-the-moon.net/servlet/ReadGenStory?storyID=56) (very quick and easy to read) is one of the funniest parodies I’ve ever been exposed to. My husband and I still quote bits to each other. If one of us says “Boo!” we know exactly what’s referenced. That’s great! ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/77 "2009-03-31T15:32:40Z")
[Billy Connolly’s version of DIVORCE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzZzGxReXmo) beat the [Tammy Wynette’s original version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9J7XE-ctMU) in the charts. That always makes me smile. Of course, I prefer [Billy’s version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjhK6_EiG9s) to [Alanis’ version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MeKYpBOTVM). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/78 "2009-03-31T15:40:49Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I read somewhere vaguely reputable (_Empire_ Magazine? Something similar, anyway) that Dr. Evil was acknowledged by various people associated with the James Bond industry as being solely responsible for ensuring Blofeld will never again be in a Bond film or a Bond novel; there’s just no way people could take him “seriously” as a Bond Villain anymore. I really would have thought the lawsuit with Kevin McClory would have seen to that years ago. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/79 "2009-03-31T15:47:02Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > Wierd Al’s Amish Paradise over LL Cool J’s Gangster’s Paradise. “Gangster’s Paradise” was a Coolio song, not LL Cool J. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320/80 "2009-03-31T15:52:28Z")
George Harrison’s parody of “He’s So Fine.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parody-beats-the-original/491320.md?page=5)