# Silly, weird, perhaps unanswerable questions about movies and TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401 "2013-03-31T03:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 27
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/521 "2026-04-06T17:33:14Z")
The beginning of Superman: “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” It makes absolutely no sense that someone would say “it’s a bird!” with that level of excitement if they really thought it was just a bird. If planes were exceedingly rare there might be an excuse for some enthusiasm there. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/522 "2026-04-06T17:48:22Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” My brain in reading that,… “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a frog!” “_A FROG?_” “Not plane, not bird, not even frog. It’s just little ol’ me, Underdog.” ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/523 "2026-04-06T17:52:17Z")
If you watch a lot of Adam-12 reruns on the geezer channel, which I’m doing right now, you’ll notice that Malloy and Reed always sit down to write their reports in a small nook off the hallway in police headquarters. A closer look inside the nook shows that there’s a big roll of brown package wrapping paper affixed to the wall, and in addition, there’s a roll of white twine there, too. What do the guys do, wrap their reports in brown paper, tie them up, and mail them to the Sarge? ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/524 "2026-04-06T19:09:51Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” It makes absolutely no sense that someone would say “it’s a bird!” with that level of excitement if they really thought it was just a bird. It makes a little sense if the excitement is because of how fast it is moving. “Look! Up in the sky!” You look up and see a red and blue blur streaking across the sky. What the hell is that?! “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/525 "2026-04-06T23:55:30Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > If planes were exceedingly rare there might be an excuse for some enthusiasm there. Or if it was the kind you use to smooth wood. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/526 "2026-04-07T00:02:29Z")
You’d have to ask Lois Lane about that. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/527 "2026-04-07T21:00:18Z")
“It’s a bird!” “It’s a plane!” “It’s Super Skier!!” … “No, uh, it’s a bird.” ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/528 "2026-04-07T21:03:27Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Once they’ve reached that sign there’s nothing they can do about it unless they “pull a Lou” (I made that up). I’ve heard the expression “hang a Louie” meaning turn left. Dunno if there’s something like “hang a Ralph” for turning right. But on a bridge, hanging a Louie would be the first step of making a (horribly unsafe, very illegal) U-turn. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/529 "2026-04-07T21:12:14Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Dunno if there’s something like “hang a Ralph” for turning right. Supposedly it’s “hang a Roscoe.” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/530 "2026-04-07T23:31:28Z")
I’ve always heard it as “Ralph,” but it could be a regional thing. I’m in the Ohio River valley. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/531 "2026-04-07T23:48:03Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > A closer look inside the nook shows that there’s a big roll of brown package wrapping paper affixed to the wall, and in addition, there’s a roll of white twine there, too. What do the guys do, wrap their reports in brown paper, tie them up, and mail them to the Sarge? Evidence paper > **[Evidence Paper Rolls | Evidence Packaging | Arrowhead Forensics](https://arrowheadforensics.com/products/evidence-packaging/evidence-paper-rolls.html)** > > Shop our line of evidence paper rolls and dispensers, perfect for covering a work surface to be used for the examination of evidence. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2026, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/532 "2026-04-08T06:50:07Z")
On _America’s Test Kitchen_, why do they never use oven mitts? Every time they take something out of the oven, they wrap a towel around it. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2026, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/533 "2026-04-08T09:03:34Z")
Towels are faster. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/534 "2026-04-13T00:37:24Z")
If you gave both plenty of time to plan who would win in a fight, Batman or MacGuyver? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/535 "2026-04-13T01:18:50Z")
Batarang to the skull while Mac is building an attack helicopter out of plastic forks ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/536 "2026-04-13T01:53:16Z")
MacGuyver would have to improvise something. Batman is always prepared. ---
**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:** [April 13, 2026, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/537 "2026-04-13T10:09:50Z")
Advantage: MacGuyver. Batman relies on his gadgets too much, which makes him less flexible. To MacGuyver, OTOH, _everything_ is a potential gadget. He’s much more observant of his surroundings and can always adapt to changing circumstances. ---
**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:** [April 13, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/538 "2026-04-13T22:34:10Z")
Yeah, Macguyver is prepared by virtue of everything being his preparation. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/539 "2026-07-24T02:43:28Z")
Why do the characters in _Wicked_ use whimsical malapropisms like “confusifying” and “discoverate” when they speak, but not when they sing? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401/540 "2026-07-24T14:47:33Z")
They sing those words, too. “Poor Galinda, forced to reside, with someone so **disgusticified**.” “O hallowed halls and vine-draped walls The **proudliest** sight there is” I actually like those terms - it’s the kind of ingroup rich-kid slang that is plausible for the kind of characters that are in the upper class of Oz [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-weird-perhaps-unanswerable-questions-about-movies-and-tv/654401.md?page=28)