# Sitcom gimmicks. ex: You never saw Vera **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303 "2002-08-23T22:10:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/101 "2002-08-28T15:49:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Number Six \* > \*\*On _Newhart_, the Darryls never talked or used any facial expression of any kind, but everyone except Dick could understand them perfectly. Their only words in the entire series: > > “Shut Up!” To their newly married wives in the final episode.\*\* Actually, it was “Quiet!” It was repeated once more at the end of the episode, in the persona of the MTM cat. The character on _That 70’s Show_ is spelled Fez, like the hat. > [@](#): > > Where is Fez from? …What’s his last name? > The writers have decided to keep Fez’s home country a mystery. > NO ONE knows his origin. Similarly, we do not know Fez’s real name. Apparently, his real name is unpronounceable, so the guys call him Fez, short for “Foreign Exchange Student.” (The spelling is poetic license.) > _from [that70sshow.tv](http://that70sshow.tv), ©2001 Carsey-Werner-Mandabach_ ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/102 "2002-08-28T19:13:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by the O-man \* > \*\*Actually, in a trick very similar to the pie smeared face of Vera in “Cheers”, there is an episode where Carlton the doorman is at a costume party (I believe at Rhoda’s), dancing, where we see his body, but his face (and head) is covered by a (Dog?) mask. I remember thinking to myself how chunky he looked. \*\* He was wearing a gorilla mask, I believe, and was dancing with some lady, at the end of the episode. He says to the lady, “Alright, I’ll take off my ugly mask and you take off yours.” She answers, “I’m not wearing a mask.” Carlton stops dancing and stares in disbelief. Roll credits. I loved it! ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/103 "2002-08-28T19:37:52Z")
On “Bewitched” the running gag was that Endorra intentionally called Darren Stevens by the wrong name all the time. “Now, Dagwood,…” “Durwood,…” ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/104 "2002-08-28T19:53:01Z")
On **Xena, Warrior Princess** , the relationship between Xena and Gabriel is always hinted at being more than platonic. After a while it became a running gag with the writers. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Green\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mr.Green\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Green_Fool)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/105 "2002-08-28T20:24:36Z")
My favorite reference to this was I think on Hercules in the “Some Like it Hot” parody episode. Bruce Campbell and I think Ioalus are taking a bath together and Salamonius (or whoever the FTD florist guy with the beard was) comes in and says “Who do you guys think you are Gabrielle and Xena?” ---
**Author:** ![WonTon\_Sean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WonTon\_Sean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WonTon_Sean)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/106 "2003-01-16T03:50:03Z")
On the topic of Fez, from [http://www.that70sshowfan.com/didyouknow.html](http://www.that70sshowfan.com/didyouknow.html) “In the episode “Class Picture” Fez says his name for the first time but a school bell rings over it. According to the director, David Trainer, Wilmer Valderrama (FEZ) is actually saying the first names of all the cast members. “TopherDannyAshtonDebraJoKurtwoodMilaLauraWilmer” (not in that order).” I guess they had him say that to fool the lipreaders. ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/107 "2003-01-16T04:38:14Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Dooku \* \*\*Sitcom gimmicks - post ‘em here. [list] [li] **Cheers** : You never saw Norm’s wife Vera.[/li]You never saw Niles’ wife in **Frasier** either. Spin off gimmick in a spin off series. **Friends** always has episodes titles beginning with “The one…” I stopped watching Friends after the fifth season so I don’t know whether they still do that. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/108 "2003-01-16T04:45:43Z")
Since I didn’t get to participate in this thread the first time 'round…I’d like to take this opportunity to commend **Qwertyasdfg** for his inspired “lost Fawlty Towers episodes” spoof. **Hastur** , you got royally whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/109 "2003-01-16T06:49:06Z")
And to go waaaaay back… Divine was supposed to play Peg’s Uncle Otto, not her mother. Peg’s mom wasn’t seen in the episode ‘All in the Family’. From [Bundyology.com](http://Bundyology.com), the source for all things Bundy: “Divine (Harris Glenn Milstead) was booked to play Uncle Otto which was planned to be a recurring character. Usually Divine played as a drag queen, but this time he should have played as a man. His first episode would have been “All in the Family” (0222), but he didn’t show up on the set to take part in the rehearsals on March 7, 1988. His personal manager and biographer, Bernard Jay, discovered him dead in his hotel suite. This caused a gap of seven weeks between the premieres of episode 0221 and 0222. Uncle Otto was finally played by James “Gypsy” Haake. The end credits of episode 222 contain the following message: THIS EPISODE IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF DIVINE 1945-1988.” MWC Reunion Show February 16th, BTW!! ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/110 "2003-01-17T01:58:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*The IMDB lists the name as “Fez” while the episode guide at [TVTome.com](http://TVTome.com) lists it as “Fes”. \*\* According to Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, the spelling is “Fez.” (The spelling is artistic license.) ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/111 "2003-01-17T02:44:34Z")
On The Simpsons, every time they show the exterior of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, a crow caws. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/112 "2003-01-17T03:00:06Z")
Nobody’s mentioned my personal favorite- on Are You Being Served?, Mrs. Slocoumb has a different outrageous color dye to her hair each episode _and nobody ever says a word about it_ ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/113 "2003-01-17T03:10:38Z")
Another one about **Columbo** : you never learn his first name (do you?) ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/114 "2003-01-17T03:11:33Z")
Some more from _Clerks_ : Randal opens the episode as the credits appear at the bottom of the screen with a variation on “Clerks is filmed before a live studio audience.” The funniest is “Clerks is drawn by a live studio audience.” The flowerpot falling whenever we see the “Batman”-style climbing sequence. Charles Barkley popping up only to be told to go away. I wish the show wasn’t canceled. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/115 "2003-01-17T04:54:45Z")
\*\* Strangers with Candy \*\* The huge abundance of Blackman paintings, pictures, logos, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/116 "2003-01-20T11:51:23Z")
Three’s Company The landlord always acts a bit nervous around Jack since he thinks he is gay and Jack usually plays up to it by winking or putting his arm around him. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/117 "2003-01-20T12:50:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > **On “Roseanne” there was the chicken shirt.** Which also became an apron worn by the carious characters in the diner. There was another similar design that was often seen simultaneously, but for the life of me I cannot remember what it was. Another running thing on Roseanne was the presence of a big giant jar of pickled eggs. It was real, and it sat on the pantry shelves in Roseanne’s kitchen, in the kitchen at the diner and popped up in a couple of other places. (Becky’s short-lived trailer home being one of them.) I don’t know why I know this, I think I’ve seen two episodes of the show, but I remember seeing something about that on the E! True Hollywood Story or something similar that I watched one night when I couldn’t sleep. 🙂 Will & Grace has a subtle running gimmick: the wordless “come back.” At the end of a scene, the characters seem to end their conversation and begin to go in their separate ways, then they’ll both (or all) come back and do something hysterical without uttering a word. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/118 "2003-01-20T13:08:58Z")
Am I the first to mention **Charlies Angels** , where we never get a clear view of Charlie? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/119 "2003-01-20T13:24:33Z")
In Deep Space Nine, there’s a fat, silent alien in Quark’s bar named Morn (think about it). He’s always there but never speaks. In one episode, he was thought dead, and we learned that all the principals admired him and that he actually led quite an exciting life. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303/120 "2003-01-20T13:50:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Menocchio \* > \*\*In Deep Space Nine, there’s a fat, silent alien in Quark’s bar named Morn (think about it). He’s always there but never speaks. In one episode, he was thought dead, and we learned that all the principals admired him and that he actually led quite an exciting life. \*\* Yes, his name was an anagram of “Norm!” from _Cheers_. Actually, the big gag about Morn was that we never saw him speak, but several of the regulars always complained that he **never** shuts up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-gimmicks-ex-you-never-saw-vera/125303.md?page=7)