# Things everybody "knows" are cliches, that aren't **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129 "2009-02-24T00:14:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/101 "2009-06-21T17:46:21Z")
> [@De\_La\_Rue](#): > > I always found it interesting that [A Case of Spring Fever](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngBNklagsHQ&eurl=http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Willy%20the%20Waffle&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&clien), the educational film about springs and how horrible the world would be without them, portrays the friends of the protagonist as being bored after a while with his constant talk of springs and how wonderful they are. Which, while not exactly a cliche, indicates that the people making those square, cheesy educational short films were more aware of their cheesy nature then modern audiences would think. Recently I saw a PSA about some commonly used substance and I swear whoever made it must have watched The Kentucky Fried Movie. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**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 21, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/102 "2009-06-21T21:51:20Z")
1. The Minnow had a large but potentially repairable hole in it. When the Professor couldnā€™t fashion adequate nails to secure planks over the hole, they used the ultra-sticky tree sap Gilligan discovered as glue (heā€™d originally been trying for pancake syrup). Unfortunately, the glue broke down after just a day or two and in the process caused the Minnow to completely disintegrate. Partial blame goes to the Professor- he signed off on using the glue. 2. After an entire episode of trying to recover the Skipperā€™s memory of how heā€™d been able to convert a radio receiver into a transmitter during WW2, they were about to radio for help when Gilligan crushed the transmitter under a load of firewood. (And that is when they should have hanged him). 3. A survivor-type contestant on the island refused to radio for help or let anyone know the castaways were there because the prize he was seeking was conditional on his surviving ā€œaloneā€ on the island. The castaways kept a sharp look out for the boat that was coming to pick him up. Gilligan completely ignored the helicopter that came instead. ---
**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 21, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/103 "2009-06-21T22:54:25Z")
I donā€™t recall these being stated, and Iā€™m not going to go through the whole thread, so forgive me if they have. These are examples drawn from the literary figures that have been significantly changed by cinemtaic interpretations. ā€“ Tarzan was NOT a monosyllabic grunted who said ā€œMe Tarzan, You Janeā€. He was incredibly well self-taught, and could write more eloquently than that. Then he learned to speak French. Then, at last, he learned English, and was amazingly fluent in it. ā€“ He also never swung from vines in the books. He brachiated, like apes. Burroughs actually made fun of the Hollywood visions of Tarzan in his Tarzan book ā€œTarzan and the Lion Manā€. ā€“ Tarzanā€™s son was named Korak, not ā€œBoyā€, and he was pretty eloquent, too. ā€“ Tarzanā€™s monkey companion (not the chimp Cheetah, nor any sort of gorilla) was Nkima the monkey. ā€“Frankensteinā€™s monster was amazingly eloquent, too. He;s downright florid in his langauge. (ā€œEat, and be refreshed!ā€). None of this non-vocalizing, or ā€œBread Good! Fire bad!ā€ More recent film versions have been more faithful to the nbooks, bu Disneyā€™s Tarzan is still not all that good at speechifying. And the newer interpretations of Frankenstein in ā€œFrankenstein Unboundā€, Branaughā€™s ā€œFrankensteinā€, and others still havenbā€™t erased those images. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/104 "2009-06-21T23:21:57Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > I think the entry on Drill Thrall Shana summed it up ā€œsex was prevented only by the script, the censors and time slot.ā€ that, more than Kirkā€™s self control, is why there was no banging of green chicks. šŸ˜‰ I have a 16mm reel of outtakes from _Star Trek_ thatā€™s pretty funny. In addition to Kirk running into the turbolift doors that didnā€™t open, and Spock getting hit in the butt by one of the fake-vomit creatures in _Operation: Annihilate_, thereā€™s a clip from _The Gamesters of Triskelion_. You know the scene: Kirk takes Shahna in a passionate embrace. In the clip, the embrace is shown forward and backward resulting in apparent repeated pelvic thrusts ā€“ set to the _Mission: Impossible_ theme. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/105 "2009-06-22T00:00:39Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > And in the stories and illustrations he smokes a bunch of different pipes - Iā€™m not sure if a calabash is among them, but itā€™s certainly not even what you see him smoke most often in the illustrations. He seems to dig the churchwarden, IIRC. In the texts themselves, he and Watson (or some visitor) usually smoked cigars. ---
**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 22, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/106 "2009-06-22T13:04:49Z")
> [@](#): > > In the texts themselves, he and Watson (or some visitor) usually smoked cigars. While Holmes did smoke cigars, and cigarettes, he far more often smoked pipes, especialy ā€œhis disreputable clayā€. I donā€™t recall him ever being said to smoke a calabash in the Canon. Supposedly, actor William Gilettte introduced it because it didnā€™t obscure his face, and let him speak his lines. Certainly it has become iconic, and used in pastches (like Nicholas Meyerā€™s _The Seven Per Cent Solution_.) ---
**Author:** ![ajdebosco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@ajdebosco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ajdebosco)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/107 "2009-06-22T13:41:23Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > People being sucked down by quicksand was a big one for awhile. Outstanding thread, and great observation, RC; one would think there was a small hidden puddle of deadly quicksand around every horseshoe bend in the trail out west. Same with box canyons and hole-in-the-wall gangs. Old west gun fights were extremely rare if you are imagining mano v. mano ā€œDraw, stranger!ā€, it was far more common to have an ambush, five on one assasinations, or shooting a guy in the back for cheating. Daniel Boone never wore a coonskin cap; his lid of choice was sort of top hat that tied under the chin, earflaps and all. Boxing movies always seem to feature an unknown palooka getting a title shot, geez! I coulda been a contenda, instead of a bum. Babe Ruth didnā€™t spend as much time visiting sick kids as he did sucking suds and chasing tail, but legend would have it he saved more kids than St. Jude with his miraculous homeruns. Speaking of miracles, the lives of the saints depicted in films are peppered with miracles, when in fact, most of them were just parlor and card tricks. George Burns as the almighty even complained, ā€œThe last time I performed a miracle was parting the Red Sea, oh, the '69 Mets aside.ā€ Which brings me to my final thought on these cliches, and I need some help here, who in the world thunk up this whole invisibility thing? Is there any basis for the vast number of cases of persons, places, and things that are there, but hidden from the eye? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/108 "2009-06-22T13:56:51Z")
I meant to say this before, but somehow forgot. **Aesiron** said: > [@](#): > > Kirk didnā€™t bang any green chicks, and the evidence for any of the other dozens of women is pretty slim as well. > > Only two are certainties while the rest are arguable. > > [http://allyourtrekarebelongto.us/kirkgirls.htm](http://allyourtrekarebelongto.us/kirkgirls.htm) I donā€™t trust their interpretations. That site has a clear agenda to categorize any Kirk on female encounter as anything but Kirk wanting to get some. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/109 "2009-06-22T14:05:15Z")
> [@ajdebosco](#): > > Which brings me to my final thought on these cliches, and I need some help here, who in the world thunk up this whole invisibility thing? Is there any basis for the vast number of cases of persons, places, and things that are there, but hidden from the eye? Same person that came up with magma as a plot device. I canā€™t say as Iā€™ve encountered ANY in my 40 years on this planet. Now, I canā€™t say Iā€™ve spent a whole lotta time in Hawaii or Mt. St. Helens, but according to the Saturday morning cartoons, Magma is EVERYWHERE! ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/110 "2009-06-22T14:28:42Z")
> [@ajdebosco](#): > > Which brings me to my final thought on these cliches, and I need some help here, who in the world thunk up this whole invisibility thing? Is there any basis for the vast number of cases of persons, places, and things that are there, but hidden from the eye? There are Greek myths about rings that could bestow invisibility. And no, I am not getting confused with Tolkein :P. But if it has its roots in antiquity, it could explain its ubiquity. Okay, I need that last line on a T-shirt. ---
**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 22, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/111 "2009-06-22T14:42:57Z")
> [@](#): > > There are Greek myths about rings that could bestow invisibility. To tell the truth, I only know about one ring in Greek Mythology that conferred invisibility ā€“ the **Ring of Gyges** , and it only appears in the account Plato gives in **The Republic** (Herodotusā€™ account of Gyges doesnā€™t include the ring) > **[Ring of Gyges](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Gyges)** > > The Ring of Gyges /ĖˆdŹ’aÉŖĖŒdŹ’iĖz/ (Ancient Greek: Ī“ĻĪ³ĪæĻ… Ī”Ī±ĪŗĻ„ĻĪ»Ī¹ĪæĻ‚, GĆŗgou DaktĆŗlios, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Attic Greek pronunciation: \[ĖˆÉ”yĖĖŒÉ”oĖ dakĖˆtylios\]) is a hypothetical magic ring mentioned by the philosopher Plato in Book 2 of his Republic (2:359aā€“2:360d). It grants its owner the power to become invisible at will. Us There are other invisibility-conferring rings, like **Jamie Keddieā€™s Ring** (mentioned by Sir Walter Scott in one of his novels) , but I have no idea how old they are. Greek mythology DID have the **Helmet of Hades** , which was given to Perseus to give him invisibility. it even shows up in the movie **Clash of the Titans** ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/112 "2009-06-22T15:14:08Z")
Known far and wide as an authority on Greek history and mechanical owls. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/113 "2009-06-22T17:41:24Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Of course, the ā€œEnormous Incredible Hulkā€ version of Mr. Hyde got its start from Alan Moore and his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, aided and abetted by the film **Van Helsing**. Since people get a lot more information from movies than books, I suspect this literary anomaly will be with us for a long time. Iā€™m not sure if this was your intention, but please, please, \*please \*donā€™t associate Alan Moore with the terrible film version of _League_. The comic is amazing; the film should be vomited on, then burned, then the ashes vomited on again. And, as has been observed by someone else, in the comic it was stated that Jekyll and Hyde started out at the same size, but Hyde grew larger and stronger as Jeckyl grew smaller and more frail. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/114 "2009-06-22T17:47:11Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Iā€™m not sure if this was your intention, but please, please, \*please \*donā€™t associate Alan Moore with the terrible film version of _League_. The comic is amazing; the film should be vomited on, then burned, then the ashes vomited on again. And, as has been observed by someone else, in the comic it was stated that Jekyll and Hyde started out at the same size, but Hyde grew larger and stronger as Jeckyl grew smaller and more frail. Iā€™m confused. To what movie are you referring? I mean, Iā€™ve heard _rumors_ of a movie version of LoEG, with Sean Connery and that dude from ER and the girl from The Fifth Element but those were only rumors put about byā€¦umā€¦ well, Satan, I suppose. Or someone else who hates us all. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/115 "2009-06-22T17:55:22Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Iā€™m confused. To what movie are you referring? I mean, Iā€™ve heard _rumors_ of a movie version of LoEG, with Sean Connery and that dude from ER and the girl from The Fifth Element but those were only rumors put about byā€¦umā€¦ well, Satan, I suppose. Or someone else who hates us all. Iā€™ll be over here, curled in a fetal ball in the corner, rocking back and forth with my hands over my ears, whispering, ā€œIt never happened, it never happened, it never happened, it never happened, itneverhappeneditneverhappeneditneverhappeneditneverhappened.ā€ I only saw it because it was being shown on a flight and I figured, ā€œWhat the hell, I might as well kill a couple of hours and see if it was as horrible if everyone said it was.ā€ :smack: Bad idea. Bad, bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/116 "2009-06-22T18:05:13Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Iā€™ll be over here, curled in a fetal ball in the corner, rocking back and forth with my hands over my ears, whispering, ā€œIt never happened, it never happened, it never happened, it never happened, itneverhappeneditneverhappeneditneverhappeneditneverhappened.ā€ > > I only saw it because it was being shown on a flight and I figured, ā€œWhat the hell, I might as well kill a couple of hours and see if it was as horrible if everyone said it was.ā€ :smack: Bad idea. Bad, bad idea. I am going to tell you this once moreā€“NO SUCH MOVIE WAS EVER MADE!!! What you are remembering is a fever dream brought on by a bout of malaria. If you say that enough times youā€™ll start to believe it. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/117 "2009-06-22T21:00:49Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Itā€™s interesting, because now we have an Edward Hyde who turns into a huge beast when he gets angry, in imitation of the Hulk, who turned into a huge beast when HE got angry. Yet the Hulk originally didnā€™t do that. At first he could control his changes, or changed for no discernable reason (just like Jeckyll/Hyde in Stevenson), and it was only later that they decided it was triggered by intense emotion. Actually, originally he changed into the Hulk at night, and was Banner during the day. Sort of like a werewolf, just without needing the full moon to trigger it. After they brought back the grey Hulk and the day/night transformations, they explained it with some psuedoscience about the sunā€™s radiation interfering with the gamma radiation in his body. Why it didnā€™t effect him for all the years in between with various other triggers, they didnā€™t say. > [@Strassia](#): > > As for the Hulk, he changed a lot over the years. He started out gray, then became green (originally due to a printing error). Sort of. The ā€œprinting errorā€ was simply that the printing technology of the day made it near impossible to get a consistent shade of grey, so for the 2nd issue they switched to green. The green was never an error, I donā€™t know if you meant to imply that or not, but I could see someone reading your statement that way and just wanted to add a little more and prevent any confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/118 "2009-06-22T21:11:43Z")
**ajdebosco** said: > [@](#): > > Which brings me to my final thought on these cliches, and I need some help here, who in the world thunk up this whole invisibility thing? Is there any basis for the vast number of cases of persons, places, and things that are there, but hidden from the eye? You mean like ā€œThe Invisible Manā€, or like Dan Brownā€™s _The Da Vinci Code_ crap? **Skald the Rhymer** said: > [@](#): > > I mean, Iā€™ve heard _rumors_ of a movie version of LoEG, with Sean Connery and that dude from ER and the girl from The Fifth Element Peta Wilson wasnā€™t in The Fifth Element. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/119 "2009-06-23T15:30:00Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > **Skald the Rhymer** said: > > Peta Wilson wasnā€™t in The Fifth Element. Well, I SAID they were rumors. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129/120 "2009-06-23T15:37:47Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Actually, originally he changed into the Hulk at night, and was Banner during the day. Sort of like a werewolf, just without needing the full moon to trigger it. After they brought back the grey Hulk and the day/night transformations, they explained it with some psuedoscience about the sunā€™s radiation interfering with the gamma radiation in his body. Why it didnā€™t effect him for all the years in between with various other triggers, they didnā€™t say. I believe the current explanation is that Bruce Banner has multiple personality disorder. The Grey Hulk, Child Hulk, Beast Hulk, and Professor Hulk are all separate personas. (The Professor Hulk has Bruceā€™s genius and general personality; the Grey Hulk is cunning and criminal, with normal human intelligence; the Child-Hulk is the one who generally acts like a child (obviously); and the Beats Hulk is, ah, bestial (equally). Child & Beast are the strongest, as theyā€™re the ones who can go furthest into rage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everybody-knows-are-cliches-that-arent/487129.md?page=7)